By Imran Khan, IANS,
Patna : Bihar has become the first state in the country to monitor road construction projects online.
B. Rajendra, secretary in the Rural Works Department, told IANS: “We are the first to do online monitoring. It will prove helpful to build quality roads and provide transparency.”
He said the decision was meant to ensure timely completion of the projects and to minimise irregularities.
“The department has provided the latest technology, including digital signatures, along with closed user group mobile phones to all officials, particularly engineers, for online monitoring,” Rajendran said.
Thanks to online monitoring, the department was receiving the work progress report, status of road carpeting and financial status on a regular basis, he said.
“The department will start uploading all the data collected on its official website within two months,” he said.
The department is also planning to publish data on 9,000 contractors registered with it on its website. Plans are to start online registration of contractors.
He said Bihar was the first state to put details regarding Class 1 to 8 of all its 70,000 government-run schools online.
According to one official, Bihar laid over 25 percent of its entire road network just in the past six years.
Former chief minister Lalu Prasad once famously promised to build roads as smooth as actress Hema Malini’s cheeks.
That unkept promise has been fulfilled by his successor and political foe, Nitish Kumar, who has promised to cut travel time between Patna and any village to six hours or less.
Since 2006-07, Bihar has constructed 27,606 km of roads, besides repairing 1,657 km of national highways, official sources said.
(Imran Khan can be contacted at [email protected])