CM Nitish Kumar to hold review meet in Magadh division today

GAYA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar is scheduled to review the execution of development projects in the five districts of Magadh division on Wednesday. The meeting will be held at Gaya collectorate.
However, extremely slow pace of Dobhi-Patna road four-laning work and shorter runway of the Gaya airport may cast shadow on the credibility of the official machinery. Sources said groundwater depletion and vanishing water bodies have only dampened the tap water scheme.The state government intends to connect 17.9 million houses with a source of clean drinking water under the CM’s ‘Saat Nischay’.
The CM will be accompanied by chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and DGP PK Thakur. Implementation of the prohibition policy in Magadh division also figures prominently on the agenda.
As per schedule, the four-laning of 127km Dobhi-Patna road via Gaya was to be completed before April this year. With only two months left for the expiry of the project deadline, hardly 15% of the work has been done. The Rs 2015 crore project moves at a snail pace.
Tourism development remains another major area of concern. On account of a shorter runway, wide body planes with larger passenger capacity cannot land/take off from the Gaya airport. Runway expansion plan is in limbo for over a decade now, as the 100 acre land required for the purpose could not be acquired on account of stand-off between land owners and government on the land price issue.
Shortage of space in jail has hit the implementation of the prohibition policy.