Bihar Mahatma Gandhi Setu to open in March

PATNA: Both flanks of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu would be made operational by March 31, 2008. RCD minister Nand Kishore Yadav said this while replying to a short notice question of Mahachandra Prasad Singh in the Bihar Legislative Council on Monday. He said that except for the three spans, the other 19 spans have been repaired by the state government from its own resources. The minister said that the repair of the three spans numbering 44, 45 and 46, would be completed by March 31. This would facilitate movement of traffic on both the flanks of the prestigious bridge. The state government accepted that it was lagging behind schedule in completing work under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. However, rural development minister Narendra Narain Yadav, while replying to a short notice question, assured that the entire scheme, though sanctioned, would be completed by March 2009. Pandemonium prevailed in the House as soon as it assembled for the day's business. While RJD members raised the issue of Azad Gandhi's tiff with an ADM of Patna collectorate, the NDA leaders -- including Giriraj Singh (BJP) and Shambhu Sharan Srivastav (JD-U) -- raised slogans demanding action against Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and his kin for using children to plough their field. RJD members trooped into the well of the House demanding an adjournment motion to discuss the case filed against MLC Azad Gandhi by the Patna district administration. The pandemonium forced adjournment of the House for 15 minutes during the pre-lunch session. Later acting chairman Arun Kumar ruled that a debate on the issue would be taken up in the post-lunch session. Mundrika Singh Yadav (RJD) said that when Azad Gandhi went to the chamber of ADM Awdhesh Narain Singh in the collectorate on October 15 to seek some clarification in the voters' list, the latter allegedly abused him, beat him up and later filed a criminal case against him. He charged that initially Azad Gandhi went to the Gandhi Maidan police station to lodge an FIR against the ADM, but it was not entertained. Instead a warrant of arrest was issued against the MLC who is absconding and not even attending the proceedings of the House. The RJD members Bhim Singh and Nagendra Prasad demanded withdrawal of the FIR against Azad Gandhi and suspension of the ADM as the "prestige" of the House is at stake. They also demanded probe into the matter by a House committee. Participating in the debate, the NDA leaders including Ram Kishore Singh, Birkeshwar Singh, Ram Badan Rai and Giriraj Singh said that the action should be initiated against the ADM but they also demanded self-introspection from the members as well. Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, in his reply, said that no action could be initiated against the ADM as the latter is under the jurisdiction of Election Commission. Moreover, he said the matter is subjudice.