The bridge over river Arai which chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated on Friday and (right) the older one, which was damaged only four years after its construction in 2003. Both the bridges stand at a distance of 700m. The new 380m-long bridge — constructed in three years at a cost of Rs 34 crore — would reduce the travel time between Samastipur and Sitamarhi towns. Earlier, people had to travel 115km, now they would need to cover only 73km. Commuters from Madhubani and Darbhanga would also be able to take the bridge at Arai village, around 150km northeast of Patna. During the inauguration, Nitish also announced a probe into the alleged faulty construction of the older bridge after some people gathered at the inauguration of the new one demanded it. “Since people want the construction of the older bridge to be probed, the road construction department will look into the matter. The old bridge will also be repaired,” Nitish said. In the fourth leg of his Seva Yatra, Nitish also said granting special status to Bihar would accelerate the economic growth of the country. “The economic development of the nation would be stalled if Bihar does not get the special status. The demand for the special status is the right of the people,” he said. The Centre has set up a six-member committee under chief economic adviser Raghuram Rajan to frame new criteria to determine “backwardness” of states. The panel, of which Asian Development Research Institute member-secretary Shaibal Gupta is a member, would submit its report within six months. Text by Jitendra Kumar Shrivastava and PTI, picture by Mukesh Kumar Jha