Union Minister Nitin Gadkari travels in Patna airport bus during one-day visit: See pic

Bihar: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the eastern flank of reconstructed Mahatma Gandhi Setu over River Ganga in Hajipur on Tuesday (June 7).

New Delhi: The Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari was in Patna, Bihar to inaugurate the eastern flank of reconstructed Mahatma Gandhi Setu over River Ganga in Hajipur. He laid the foundation stone of national highway projects worth Rs 13,585 crores as per a PTI report. Ahead of the inauguration, the Union Minister was spotted in a bus at Patna airport with other Ministers of Bihar including Shandilya Giriraj Singh, Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi.

Gadkari had taken to his official Twitter handle to share the photo.

Gadkari also appealed to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to set up industrial clusters and smart cities along the expressways in the state.
The 5,750-metres-long Mahatma Gandhi Setu was inaugurated in 1982 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi as the country's longest river bridge. It underwent repairs from 1999 to 2016, when the Centre approved its reconstruction plan.

Gadkari had on July 31, 2020 flagged off traffic on the western flank of the reconstructed bridge, the lifeline between North and South Bihar.

The entire MG Setu reconstruction project was executed at a cost of Rs 1,742 crore.

He also laid the foundation stone for 10 other projects, including the four-lane greenfield 124-km Munger-Bhagalpur-Mirza Chowki highway and the six-lane 70-km Aurangabad-Chordaha highway during the day.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said, "The Bihar government has already fast-tracked the ongoing construction of all mega road, bridge and highway projects and officials have been instructed to ensure completion within the specified time frame. The state administration is also very specific about maintenance of roads, bridges and highways."

"We are thankful to Gadkari Ji for sanctioning several mega road, bridge and highway projects in Bihar, and also for completing several major projects," he added.

Gadkari landed at Patna airport around 11.30 am and met Kumar at his official residence, and then went to Hajipur for the event.

(With inputs)