Union Cabinet approves 6-lane bridge on river Ganga between Digha and Sonepur in Bihar
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday has approved the construction of a 4.56 km long, 6-lane bridge on river Ganga, connecting Digha and Sonepur in Bihar.
The total cost of the project is Rs 3,064.45 crore.
The work is targeted to be completed in 42 months from the appointed date.
As per the government, the major impact of the project includes faster commute and better connectivity between the north and south ports of Bihar and will promote the socio-economic growth of the entire region.
The project is expected to generate direct employment for skilled and unskilled workers.
Union minister Anurag Thakur during the cabinet briefing, said that Bihar was, is and will remain a priority for the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Bihar has great potential and PM Modi has always given various big projects for the development of the state. Bihar was, is and will remain a priority for the Modi government,” Thakur said.
The Bridge will connect two Districts namely Patna at Digha on the south side and Saran on the north side across River Ganga, Bihar.
The government has declared the stretch “the Highway starting from its junction with NH-139 near Patna (AIIMS) connecting Bakarpur, Manikpur, Sahebganj, Areraj and terminating at its junction with NH- 727 near Bettiah in the State of Bihar” as NH-139(W) vide Gazette Notification dated 8th July 2021.
The work is to be implemented in EPC mode with the use latest technology like 5D-Building Information Modelling (BIM), Bridge Health Monitoring System (BHMS), and monthly drone mapping to ensure quality of construction and operations, as per the government.
Digha (situated at Patna and the south bank of the Ganga River) and Sonepur (north bank of the Ganga River in Saran District) are presently connected by a rail cum road bridge for the movement of light vehicles only. Therefore, the present road cannot be used for the transport of goods and commodities which is a major economic blockade. The constraint will be removed by providing this bridge, between Digha and Sonepur and; goods and commodities can be transported once the bridge is constructed, unleashing the economic potential of the region.
This bridge will provide direct connectivity from Patna to the Golden Quadrilateral Corridor via NH-139 at Aurangabad and Sonepur (NH-31), Chhapra, Motihari (East-West corridor old NH-27), Bettiah (NH-727) in the northern side of Bihar. This Project is a part of the Buddha circuit. It provides better connectivity to the Buddha Stupa at Vaishali and Keshariya. Also, NH-139W provides connectivity to the very famous Areraj Someshwar Nath Temple and the proposed Viraat Ramayan Mandir (the largest religious monument in the world) at Kesariya in the East Champaran District.
This project is falling in Patna and will provide better connectivity to north Bihar and the south part of the state through the state capital. The Bridge will make the movement of vehicles faster and easier resulting in the overall development of the region. The Economic analysis results have shown an EIRR of 17.6 per cent in the base case and 13.1 per cent in the worst case which may be attributed to the savings in distance and time travelled.
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