The long-pending issue of land availability for the construction of the Sahebganj-Manikpur stretch of NH-19W, part of the Patna-Bettiah four-lane highway project, is close to being resolved. Construction work had been stalled for over six months due to the unavailability of land along a 1.5-km stretch, but land has now been identified in most of the affected mauzas. However, a slight delay remains possible as one case related to land acquisition is still pending in court.
Officials said the project was hit by disputes among raiyats over land ownership, which delayed the acquisition process. The matter was recently reviewed by the Director of Land Acquisition, following which directions were issued to the district administration and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the process.
In response, the district administration and NHAI initiated joint action. Based on the Revisional Survey, khatiyans were cross-verified and, through dialogue, a consensus has been reached with most of the concerned landholders. With this, the formal land acquisition process is expected to begin shortly, paving the way for construction to pick up pace.
The Sahebganj-Manikpur section is a key component of the Patna-Bettiah four-lane project. The NHAI has allocated Rs 406 crore for this stretch, of which around Rs 83 crore is yet to be disbursed as compensation.
Once completed, the four-lane highway is expected to reduce travel time between Patna and Bettiah to just 2.5-3 hours from the current over seven hours. The project will significantly improve connectivity between Patna and north Bihar districts such as Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, and East and West Champaran, as well as the Nepal border.
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The highway is also expected to enhance access to major tourist and religious destinations, including Vaishali, Kesariya and the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, giving a boost to tourism, trade and industrial activity in the region.