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Nitish Kumar links highway maintenance to economic development

Union Surface Transport Minister Nitish Kumar today announced to give top-most priority to repair and maintenance of National Highways in the country.

Kumar said in Patna, Bihar, that the road construction departments were responsible for maintenance of the National Highways. He said the agency would be changed and the maintenance work would be entrusted to a central agency if state agencies failed to maintain the National Highways properly.

Kumar said the highways in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were in a poor condition while in some other states including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana, the condition of the roads was better.

Lamenting the ''misuse'' of the central assistance, allocated to the states for maintenance of the highways, the minister regretted that some states were not utilising the funds properly.

Kumar announced plans to strengthen the regional offices of the National Highways where their conditions were deplorable.

Adequate funds would be allocated for improving the condition of the roads which have been included in the National Highways, he added.

Kumar said the Centre was trying to give additional financial assistance to Bihar for developing road, rail and electricity.

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