Cracks develop on side slope of Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama road
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Patna: The side slope of the newly inaugurated Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama four-lane in Patna district developed cracks on Monday. Use of substandard materials in the construction of the side slopes appears to be the reason behind cracks in a span of around 1km, alleged local residents.
Sanjeevan Kumar, a local resident, while expressing concern over development of cracks in the side slope said the four-lane project was executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He alleged that corruption in the construction agency that executed the project led to the damage.
He said, "The situation could lead to major accidents, and an investigation into the damaged side slopes should be initiated immediately.
The company was informed of these issues previously. The road, which was supposed to provide access to several villages, including Chanda and Mahmadpur, remains incomplete, affecting the daily commute of residents from 10 villages. Only one flank of the four-lane is operational.
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Rajeshwar Rai, a resident of Ranisarai, said that the one-way of the four-lane road has already resulted in eight to 10 accidents recently.
However, project director of the Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama four-lane, Arbinda Kumar, said: "Due to heavy rainfall, slope failure occurred in the Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama project, against which rectification measures were immediately taken at the site. Further, rectification is almost completed."
Built over a stretch of 44.6km, the four-lane project started in 2017 and was to be completed in Dec 2019, but it was delayed due to land acquisition issues along the route.
The project completion was later extended to Dec 2021, but two lanes of one flank of the four-lane were inaugurated by chief minister Nitish Kumar in March.
After travelling approximately 45 km on the Patna-Bakhtiyarpur four-lane, earlier commuters used to travel on the old two-lane road to go from Bakhtiyarpur to Mokama. Built at an approximate cost of Rs 870 crore, commuters are now travelling through the two lanes of a single flank of the Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama four-lane. The work on the other flank is still ongoing at some places. It is expected to be completed soon.
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