Rural roads in Bihar's Saran district are set to be shielded from heavy commercial traffic under a fresh administrative order. The decision came out of a review meeting chaired by district magistrate Vaibhav Shrivastava at the collectorate hall, where officials decided that heavy commercial vehicles will no longer be allowed on roads built by the Rural Works Department. The meeting was convened following an earlier directive from the Rural Works Department on the upkeep of rural roads.
Placing road safety at the centre of the discussion, the district magistrate said that the movement of heavy commercial vehicles on rural roads, particularly those engaged in illegal sand transport, needs to be brought under effective and immediate control.
Height barriers to choke illegal transport
To achieve this, the district magistrate directed the executive engineers of all four work divisions of the Rural Works Department in Saran district to identify suitable locations in their respective areas and prepare proposals for installing height barriers. Once a technical analysis of these identified sites is completed, the list will be sent to the Rural Works Department, following which height barriers will be installed as required. According to the district magistrate, this step will not only ensure the safety of rural roads but also extend their usability and lifespan.
New road priority list due within a week
The district magistrate also instructed all executive engineers to finalise priorities, within one week, for the list of new rural roads proposed for improved connectivity. He specifically asked that feedback be taken from local public representatives while deciding these priorities, so that the works selected reflect actual local needs. To carry this out successfully, all executive engineers were told to submit an updated list of every road under the Rural Works Department in their respective divisions. The real, on-ground condition of these roads will be separately verified through block-level officials.
Waterlogged stretches to be fixed too
The district magistrate directed officials to prepare and submit a list of all rural road locations affected by waterlogging, complete with geo-tagged photographs. He said that an action plan for drainage and drain construction will be prepared on a priority basis for these spots, with necessary steps to be taken accordingly.
Land disputes and stalled projects under review
The meeting also reviewed land-related issues and other local-level problems that have been holding up the construction of rural road projects. The district magistrate directed all executive engineers to compile a list of all cases obstructing pending projects, so that these issues can be resolved quickly through the concerned circle officer, block development officer and sub-divisional officer. Executive engineers from all four work divisions of the Rural Works Department in Saran district were present at the meeting.
