Sunday, March 16, 2008

Bihar seeks World Bank funds for rural roads

Patna, March 16 (IANS) The government has sought funds from the World Bank to build all weather rural roads to provide connectivity to villages in the five districts of south Bihar where Maoists are active. “The government has sought loans from the World Bank. We are optimistic,” Rural Development Minister Narendra Narain Yadav said Sunday.

Yadav said the districts where the roads will come up are Gaya, Jehanabad, Arwal, Aurangabad and Patna.

“The government plans to construct 351 km of rural roads at an estimated cost of Rs.1.44 billion,” said Yadav.

In the last few years, whenever the government attempted to build rural roads, Maoist guerrillas created trouble and targeted officials, contractors and workers engaged in the task.

The fear of Maoists has put a stop to road construction in many rural areas.

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