Patna, Jan 10 (PTI) Rural roads in Bihar will be free of potholes by June this year, state Rural Works Department (RWD) minister Ashok Choudhary announced on Friday.

Addressing a press conference here, Choudhary said all unconnected habitations in the state will be connected with high-quality rural roads.

"To improve rural connectivity the Bihar government has undertaken several rural road development schemes to ensure all weather access to previously unconnected habitations. In the coming months, all unconnected habitations will be connected with high-quality rural roads. Besides, the department also assures that all rural roads will be free of potholes by June this year," the minister announced at the press conference.

Under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sampark Yojana (MMGSY), the Rural Works department has so far constructed 59,885 km of rural roads and maintenance work of around 46,902 km of roads has already been completed, Choudhary said.

"Communities depend on rural roads as vital conduits that connect isolated villages to larger socio-economic structures. Building and improving rural road infrastructure has a significant impact on people's quality of life, promotes economic expansion and lessens the gap between urban and rural communities," said the minister.

The Rural Works department has also decided to construct 1,000 new small bridges in rural areas in the state where a crumbling number of such structures had hit the headlines in the recent past.

Speaking at the press conference, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Rural Works Department, Dipak Kumar Singh said, "Under the Mukhyamantri Gramin Setu Nirman Yojna’ (MGSNY) in the state, around 1,000 new small bridges will be constructed in rural areas in the state on a priority basis. The RWD will construct small bridges up to 100 metre in length.

"Around 600 small bridges will be constructed by March this year and the remaining 400 will be constructed in the next financial year. Only the construction of roads and bridges is not important. Their maintenance is equally important. The development of rural infrastructure is the prime focus of the government," Singh said. PTI PKD RG

Rural infrastructure commitment: statewide road and bridge upgrade program to eliminate potholes and improve connectivity. A state program under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sampark Yojana commits to linking remaining unconnected habitations with high-quality all weather rural roads while continuing extensive maintenance work; concurrently, the Mukhyamantri Gramin Setu Nirman Yojna mandates construction of about 1,000 small rural bridges up to 100 metres, with a staged timetable for delivery, and affirms that maintenance is as important as new construction in achieving improved rural connectivity.