Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways C P Joshi,who has criticised the Bihar Chief Minister on many occasions in the past for tardy implementation of Central government projects,heaped praise on Nitish Kumar on Wednesday. Visiting the state to inaugurate Kosi Mahasetu,a 1.8-km bridge linking Supaul to Darbhanga,Joshi said: There are only a few people who get what they dream to do in life. Nitish Kumar is surely one of them and we envy him for that. We also thank him for successful implementation of Central projects. Refraining from commenting on the JD-U leader campaigning against his party in UP Assembly elections,the Union minister said as long as states like Bihar and UP progressed,the country would progress. I am happy about Bihars progress under Nitish, said Joshi. The Bihar CM,probably as a return gesture,did not mention the Centre owing over Rs 1,000 crore to the state government by way of maintenance of national highways in the last few years. Joshi,however,privately told Patna reporters that the Centre could not reimburse for the work not commissioned by it. The Rs 400-crore Kosi Mahasetu will cut the Supaul-Patna distance from 12 to six hours now. The then prime minister,Atal Bihari Vajpayee,had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2003. The bridge connects Bhabtiahi and Saraigarh in Supaul,thus linking Supaul to Darbhanga. Now,anyone coming to Patna does not have to take a circuitous route via Saharsa and Khagaria. Nitish said: I have come here to share the happiness of Mithilanchal people with Kosi Mahasetu uniting Supaul,Saharsa and Madhepura on one side and Darbhanga and Madhubani on the other. The devastating earthquake of 1934 had snapped river links between the two Mithilanchal regions. It was embarrassing for us to cross Nepal to reach out to another block of Supaul district, said a government official in Nirmali. The construction of the bridge,however,had its share of protests following land acquisition and displacement. The Supaul police had to carry out over 100 preventive arrests to avoid any disruption to the inauguration function.
