Nitish inaugurates, lays foundation of 29 buildings

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar due in October-November, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 29 buildings worth Rs 622.22 crore, including construction of a new structure for Patna Collectorate.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar due in October-November, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 29 buildings worth Rs 622.22 crore, including construction of a new structure for Patna Collectorate. Highlighting the building construction work undertaken by his government, Kumar said, the department's budget was Rs 22.53 crore in 2004-05.

Kumar took over the reins of the state in 2005 after the NDA defeated the RJD which was in power for 15 years. The Building Construction department's budget in 2020 -21 stands at Rs 4,543 crore.

Six buildings built at a cost of Rs 85.69 crore were inaugurated and foundation stone was laid for 23 structures by the chief minister via video conferencing. Kumar also dedicated to the public the artefacts installed at Sardar Patel Bhawan here which is the new police headquarters building.

"We were constructing so many buildings in the state and we also wanted a new building for Patna Collectorate in 2010 as the existing one was in a dilapidated shape, posing threat to documents and other items kept there. "But when we decided to construct the new building for the collectorate, it got stuck due to a media report suggesting that it was a historic building. I asked Director, Archaeology, to look into the matter and the report submitted by him stated that the building was built by Dutch East India Company to store opium," the chief minister said.

Kumar wondered how could a building used for storing opium be described as a heritage structure. The new Collectorate building which will be built at a cost Rs 186.42 crore will house 39 offices besides three conference halls. It will have 3484 square meters of green cover, he said.

Kumar mentioned Bihar Museum, Samrat Ashok Convention Kendra which houses Gyan Bhawan, Bapu Sabhagar with a seating capacity of 5,000 people, Sardar Patel Bhawan, and the international convention centre at Rajgir as some of the prominent structures built by his government. Noting that that he has set up educational institutions in large numbers in the state, Kumar asserted that now students will not have to go outside Bihar due to lack of such facilities.