The Ganga riverfront project, one of the dream projects of chief minister Nitish Kumar, will be delayed by another year.

Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) officials had informed World Bank country-director Onno Ruhl during his Patna visit last year that the project would be completed in June. However, progress has been slow with hurdles, including scarcity of sand, rise in water level during the monsoon season and simultaneous construction of the Ganga Driveway, slowing down work. Only four out of the targeted 16 ghats have been completed. BUIDCo officials said June 2017 has been fixed as the new deadline for completion of the project.

"Twenty ghats were to be developed under the project. As of now, we have developed only four ghats - Baharwa, Rani, Choudhary Tola and Alamganj," a senior BUIDCo official said. "Work on four ghats between Gai Ghat and Nauzar Ghat have been put on hold because of the ongoing works on Lok Nayak Ganga Path, commonly known as Ganga Driveway."

The Ganga riverfront project entails development of a 6.6km long and 15ft wide walkway along 20 ghats in Patna complemented with amenities including decorative lights, public lavatories, 500 seating benches and green cover.

"Work is going on simultaneously on 12 ghats at present. The pathway construction is under way except for a few places near Patna Collectorate, where several heritage structures fall on its alignment. We are awaiting nod from the authority concerned for constructing the pathway at those places," said the official.

The project falls under the ambit of the National Ganga River Basin Authority, a World Bank-funded scheme that aims at abatement of pollution in and conservation of the Ganga.

Administrative approval and expenditure sanction for the project was issued by the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change in June, 2013 at an estimated outlay of Rs 254.52 crore, based on a 70:30 cost sharing model between the Centre and the state.

Nitish laid the foundation stone on February 12, 2014. The World Bank has contributed 90 per cent of the Centre's total share.

A statement released by the World Bank on June 12, 2015, when Ruhl had come to Patna, stated Larson & Turbo (L&T), the firm awarded the contract for the project, has been on board since April 2014 with a project period of 26 months.

Officials admitted that the rise in water level in the Ganga during monsoon season might delay the project further. "The water level rises during the monsoon season and a large portion of the riverbank gets inundated that prohibits construction work for three to months," the BUIDCo official said.