Photo of culvert over dry rivulet: Bihar government rejects viral post

Patna: The Bihar government on Tuesday said the image of a culvert constructed over a rivulet that went dry was being shared on social media with the claim that it was built in an open field.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Rural Works Department (RWD) Dipak Kumar Singh said the photograph is of a culvert built over the Dulardai rivulet in Raniganj block of Araria district.

“The photograph was clicked when the rivulet went dry. We have fresh photographs of the culvert, which is part of a 3.2-km-long road project. A major portion of the project is complete while work has been stalled in the vicinity of the culvert,” he told PTI.

According to another RWD official, a section of locals have obstructed work at the spot claiming that it was private land.

“To solve the dispute, the department has written to the circle officer of Raniganj block,” he said.

The road was being constructed at over Rs 3 crore under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana (MMGSY), he added.

“When the project started on April 27, 2023, no one came to claim the ownership of the land. But when officials started connecting the constructed culvert with village roads, objections were raised. Work was started after scrutinising revenue records of the land,” said another RWD official of the Forbesganj division of the district.