Bihar: Nitish Kumar orders immediate renovation of Purnia's famous Gulab Bagh Mandi

PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday took note of the dilapidated condition of Purnia’s famous Gulab Bagh Mandi and asked the officials of agriculture and building construction departments to take necessary steps to ensure immediate renovation of the state’s biggest grain market.
The CM was holding a joint review meeting with the officials and elected peoples’ representatives of Purnia, Katihar, Araria and Kishanganj, all four districts of Purnia division, at Purnia collectorate hall as part of his ‘Jal-Jivan-Hariyali' Yatra.
He also asked the officials to conduct a fresh survey of public wells in Araria districts before taking up their renovation work.
“As soon as I drew attention of the CM towards the dilapidated condition of roads, drains and buildings in the famous Gulab Bagh Mandi, the CM turned towards the government officials and asked the reasons behind not taking up the renovation works,” BJP’s Purnia MLA Vijay Kumar Khemka told TOI over phone on Tuesday.
“The CM immediately spoke to a senior official of the building construction department (BCD) in Patna through video conferencing and asked as to why the renovation work of Gulab Bagh Mandi has so far not been taken up, despite finalization of a detailed project report (DPR) by the agriculture department,” Khemka said.
The BJP MLA said the CM asked the officials of both the departments to sit together and take necessary steps for taking up renovation work.
Earlier, Khemka, while speaking in the review meeting, informed the CM that the agriculture department has approved a DPR of Rs 15 crore for renovation of the famous mandi. The BCD has to execute the renovation work. But the matter is pending due to lack of coordination between the two departments.
Spread in an area of 68 acres, Gulab Bagh Mandi is facing a lot of problems due to its dilapidated roads, drains and ruined building, Khemka told TOI, adding, he had also raised this issue in the assembly in 2016 and at a previous review meeting of the CM in 2018.
Reviewing the works of Katihar district, the CM asked the officials to take necessary steps to promote organic farming in different blocks of Katihar. “The district of Katihar should be included in the list of 12 those districts where government has planned to promote organic farming,” CM said at the meeting.
“I urged the CM to upgrade Korha block headquarters as a sub-division and also open a degree college there,” Congress MLA Punam Paswan told TOI over phone.
Earlier in the day, Nitish, accompanied by several ministers and MLAs, visited Routara village under Korha block in Katihar district, and Rupaspur Khagha panchayat in Purnia district and inspected several schemes being executed under the Jal-Jivan-Hariyali Abhiyan.