PATNA, Jan. 3 -- The road construction department has proposed strengthening of five state highways in the length of about 266 km with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said road construction department minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal on Friday. He said that the proposals to strengthen five state highways, which include Madhubani-Jhanjharpur via Rajnagar and Babubarhi, Ganpatganj-Parwaha via Pratapganj, Sitamari-Benipatti via Pupri, Atarbel-Ghoghrachatti Road via Jale and Brahmpur-Jalipur Road via Sarejna (with connectivity to Buxar-Samdha road) have been prepared for seeking the ADB loan. "A total sum of Rs.3,645 crore is likely to be spent on the projects, of which 70% would be taken as loan from the ADB," said the minister, adding that the proposals would be sent to the state cabinet next week for necessary approval. As proposed, these roads would be developed as two-lanes with pavements, against the existing width of 3.5 to 5 metres. Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC) would execute the projects for the road construction department. The population of at least six districts, including Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Buxar are likely to benefit the most. A senior BSRDC officer said that the detailed project reports (DPRs) of the existing roads envisage elevating their heights so that traffic is not affected on these roads due to heavy rains or flooding. "As the roads in the flood-affected districts like Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga and Sitamarhi are mostly at the ground level, they are damaged usually during the rainy seasons," said the officer....