Prateek Tanmay
3 min readPatnaJun 18, 2026 05:30 AM IST
The opposition in Bihar has demanded that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) set up an independent inquiry to look into allegations from residents of Samastipur’s Sarairanjan block that the route of the central government’s ambitious Patna-Purnea Greenfield Expressway was changed, and that land acquisition now could lead to more habitable areas being impacted.
As reported by The Indian Express, local residents wrote to the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on June 1, alleging an “arbitrary and politically motivated” alteration to the expressway’s original track along a five-kilometre stretch. Though the petitioners did not name anyone in the letter, more than two dozen home and shop owners claimed that the JD(U) MLA from Sarairanjan and current Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, influenced the move to benefit a close associate who is also a distant relative. Both Choudhary and his relative denied this.
In response to the report, the NHAI said on Tuesday, “There has been no change in the approved alignment between Km 48 and Km 53 in Sarai Ranjan, Samastipur district. All land acquisition notifications issued under the National Highways Act have been published strictly along the originally approved alignment, and no deviation has been made at any stage.”
However, it did not explain why three greenfield villages – Surmar (292), Surmar (293) and Bajidpur Myari – that were among the eight villages in MoRTH’s first gazette notification dated March 13, 2025, were dropped from the final gazette notification dated March 6, 2026.
On Wednesday, RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said, “MoRTH must send an independent inquiry team, keeping NHAI and the Bihar Road Construction Department out of it. The team must speak to all stakeholders, mainly those with houses, shops, residential plots, and the management committee of the Jhakhra Degree College.” A section of the college where 6,000 students study is set to be affected.
Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari suggested that the combined opposition form a team to visit Samastipur and prepare its own report.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party also held a press conference, asking 10 questions to the Bihar government and the MoRTH. JSP spokesperson Vivek Kumar said, “If there is no change in the route, let NHAI make its detailed project report, original alignment and final alignment routes public. The government should also clarify what happened to objections raised by people.”
