Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited Bihta, located on the outskirts of Patna, to review the progress of the on-going construction of the elevated road extending to Danapur and the headquarters of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The CM instructed the officials to speed up the construction work and complete it as soon as possible.

He mentioned that the Bihta-Danapur elevated road would be connected to a road overbridge (ROB) near Danapur railway station, which would make access to Bihta airport more convenient.

During a detailed presentation, officials from the NHAI and the construction company informed the CM that the 25.081 km elevated road is part of the Patna-Buxar four-lane road. The officials also shared that four bypasses are being constructed near Neuraganj (1.2 km), Panal (1.75 km), Kanhauli (1.7 km), and Vishunpura (0.6 km). The CM emphasised that the elevated road would improve transportation efficiency and save time.

The CM then visited Dilawarpur to assess the progress of the SDRF headquarters building construction. The Secretary of the Building Construction Department (BCD), Kumar Ravi, provided a detailed update on the on-going construction based on the site plan. He informed the CM that the complex would consist of various buildings, including an administrative building, an auditorium with a capacity of 500, a training centre for 290 trainees, a rapid disaster team building for 30 personnel, a quartermaster store, a national-level swimming pool for flood relief training, family housing for 108 officers and 150 staff, and barracks for 330 personnel.

In the first phase, the administrative, training, and rapid disaster team buildings, along with the quartermaster store, barracks, commandant and deputy commandant’s residences, constable housing, and mess, are near completion and are expected to be finished by January 2025. The remaining buildings are expected to be completed by June 2025, the BCD secretary said.

The CM recalled that the SDRF was established in 2010, modelled after the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He added that, until now, SDRF personnel had to travel to other states for training due to the absence of a dedicated training centre. With the new structure being built, this issue would soon be addressed.