Digital Record of Roads in Bihar: Development Through Colored Mapping

The Urban Development and Housing Department has initiated a unique project to create a digital record of roads in Bihar. Municipal corporations, councils, and panchayats have been instructed to submit detailed mapping reports of roads within their areas by August 20, 2025. Roads will be color-coded based on the construction agency to facilitate easy identification and enhance urban development planning. National highways will be marked in red, state highways in green, roads constructed by the Rural Works Department in black, roads managed by municipal bodies in yellow, roads by the District Council in blue-pink, roads by the Local Area Engineering Organization in blue, and roads by other departments in purple. This color-based classification will aid in understanding and managing the road network transparently. Municipal bodies must provide details such as road length, width, construction date, estimated cost, and current condition in a prescribed format. This digital record will simplify road maintenance and accelerate future urban planning. Copies of these instructions have been sent to all Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers to ensure prompt action. This initiative comes as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar digitally interacted with over 1.6 million electricity consumers under the ‘Chief Minister Electricity Consumer Assistance Scheme,’ which provides 125 units of free electricity to 18.9 million domestic consumers, resulting in monthly savings of ₹700 for urban families and ₹500 for rural families. The Urban Development Department’s directive is a revolutionary step towards organizing Bihar’s urban road network. Color-based mapping and digital records will simplify road management, facilitate maintenance, and promote transparent planning for new projects, further progressing Bihar towards becoming a digital and developed state.