Comfort of Volvo buses could still be a far cry for the people of Champaran until the roads (NH-24 that pass through Raxaul and Kathmandu in picture right) improve. Picture by Jai Prakash

Motihari, Jan. 19: A dream ride in a high-tech Volvo bus continues to be a distant dream for the residents of Champaran because of its deplorable road condition.

Two such hi-tech buses were ready to ply from Raxaul and Valmikinagar to the state capital, but the potholed and bumpy roads have upset the residents’ dream.

The buses are being provided by the Hyderabad-based Girish Sanghi Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. Last month, Girish Infrastructure state manager Raj Kumar visited Champaran and felt that the service of the two high-tech buses from Patna to Raxaul and Valmikinagar could not be launched unless the road condition improved.

“Our managing director and Rajya Sabha member, Girish Kumar Sanghi, is expected to take up the matter with chief minister Nitish Kumar very soon. He will request the chief minister to ensure that the condition of the roads is improved so that the bus service could be introduced in Raxaul and Valmikinagar,” Raj Kumar told The Telegraph. “The roads in this part of Champaran — starting from Piprakothi and right up to Raxaul and Valmikinagar — are terrible. The condition is worse in a stretch near Ramgarhwa on Motihari-Raxaul road,” he added.

Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) depot manager Shri Narain Sharma, also, admitted that the condition of the road from Piprakothi to Raxaul and Valmikinagar was terrible. He said: “Hi-tech Volvo buses cannot be introduced along the route.”

The two buses are part of a fleet of 92 such vehicles that are supposed be operated by BSRTC under a public-private partnership mode. The plan was to introduce the buses, equipped with WiFi facilities and LCD screens, on 17 routes across Bihar and Jharkhand. Ten routes would connect various district headquarters with the Bihar capital. The buses can cover about 80km in an hour, reducing the passengers’ journey time significantly.

Two-lane highway

A stretch of National Highway 28(A) from Piprakothi to Raxaul in East Champaran will be made a two-lane road by Tantia Constructions Ltd. The company has started its groundwork for the project. A sources in the National Highways Authority of India department said Tantia Constructions Ltd was handed over the road in October last year and it would complete the project within 30 months.