This story is from September 19, 2020

PM Modi opens Kosi rail bridge in Bihar, heaps praises on CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Kosi Mahasetu and 12 other railways projects in the poll-bound Bihar through videoconferencing from Delhi.
PM Modi opens Kosi rail bridge in Bihar, heaps praises on CM
PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar at the virtual inauguration of railway projects in Bihar on Friday
PATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Kosi Mahasetu and 12 other railways projects in the poll-bound Bihar through videoconferencing from Delhi. Modi said the railway projects could be completed in the last six years only with the ‘sahyog’ (cooperation) of chief minister Nitish Kumar. “Nitish Babu jaisa sahyogi ho to kya kuch sambhav nahi hai (If you have an associate like Nitish, nothing is impossible),” Modi said.
The PM inaugurated Kosi Mahasetu worth Rs516 crore, along with 12 other projects entailing an overall expenditure of over Rs 3,000 crore.
The railways projects worth Rs6,000 crore have been going on in the state and 90% of the work has been completed.
In an obvious reference to the delay and the lack of will power for development on the part of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who was railway minister in the UPA-1 government from 2004 to 2009, Modi said the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid the foundation of Kosi rail bridge in 2003.
Alluding to former PM Manmohan Singh and Lalu, Modi added: “Who does not know whose government it was at the Centre and as to who was the railway minister.”
The Kosi Mahasetu was the dream project of Atal ji as the prime minister and Nitish ji as railway minister with an aim to solve the problems being faced by the people of Mithila and Kosi regions, Modi said. But when the next government came in 2004, the speed of work on the Kosi rail line project slowed considerably. “If the people of Mithilanchal and Bihar had been cared for, the work would have been done at a fast pace,” he said and added: “If there is ‘dridh nishchay’ (strong will), anything can be achieved.”

The Kosi Mahasetu has reduced the route between Kosi and Mithilanchal to just 22km while, earlier, people from the two regions had to cover a circuitous railway route of 298km in the state, he said.
A mega bridge constructed in 1886 on the Nirmali-Saraigarh-Upaha section of the railways was first devastated by the 1934 earthquake and then washed away by the floods caused by Kosi river the same year. By that token, this section of the railways and Kosi Mahasetu rail bridge had become open for public use again on Friday after 86 years.
The PM said the completed section of the railway route would not only link the Kosi and Mithilanchal regions, but also open an alternative route to the North East, besides giving a boost to the trade, industries and economic revival of the two areas.
The PM said in the last six years, journey by trains had become secure and comfortable in the country. “Trains and platforms have also become clean, modernization of the tracks and bridges and construction of new bridges have increased the speed of the trains. A 250km-long dedicated freight corridor has also been completed,” he said.
“The country is becoming self-reliant and untouched areas are also getting connected by the railways. The speed of the goods trains and volume of cargo carried by them has also increased,” he said.
Earlier, Union minister of home Nityanand Rai welcome the guests. On the occasion, giving the details of the new strides made by the railways in launching and completing various projects in the state, railways minister Piyush Goyal said, “We at the Centre and the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi in Bihar will develop the state further.”
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA