PATNA, Dec. 30 -- The year 2025 saw Bihar making notable progress in infrastructure, aviation and economic sectors. Apart from the landmark six-lane bridge on river Ganga to improve north-south road link and opening of Purnea civilian airport to enhance connectivity in the north-eastern districts, a state-of-the-art APJ Abdul Kalam Science City was opened in Patna. The Makhana Board was launched to boost production of the state's signature superfood. The industry bodies praised the launch of a new industrial investment promotion policy as a game changer for the state's industrial progress for its attractive incentives like land at nominal charge tax reimbursements. Yet, persistent delays marred several long-pending projects or the government's initiatives. The project to develop Bihta airport for commercial operation saw little progress on the ground this year. The assistant professors' recruitment process, initiated in 2020, remained entangled in controversies and litigations. There is little progress on reconstruction of the Sultanganj-Aguanighat bridge which is plagued by multiple collapses. The comprehensive land survey and digitisation drive lagged far behind targets, while land acquisition hurdles stalled the development of the state's first multi-modal logistics park at Fatuha. In a major boost to road connectivity between north and south Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the impressive Aunta-Simaria 6-lane bridge, parallel to aging double-deck Rajendra Setu, on the river Ganga in August 2025. The project, costing Rs.1,870 crore, stands as one of Asia's widest extradosed cable-stayed structures. Built in the length of 1.86 km with a width of 34 meters, this architectural marvel links Mokama in Patna district with Simaria in Begusarai. It slashes travel distances by up to 100 km for heavy vehicles, easing chronic congestion and saving time, fuel and costs for the travellers. The timely completion of the project has been welcomed for easing north-south connectivity and facilitating easier access to markets for farmers in Mithilanchal. The bridge also provides an easy link for pilgrims to visit Simaria Dham - the revered site and birthplace of poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. The much-awaited APJ Abdul Kalam Science City was opened in Patna in September this year. Described as a tribute to the India's "Missile Man", the institution is equipped with ultra-modern facility features five expansive galleries - be a scientist, basic sciences, sustainable planet, space and astronomy, and body and mind - housing over 269 interactive exhibits on themes from AI and machine learning to environmental conservation and human anatomy. Spread over a 21 acres plot near Moin-ul-Haq stadium in Rajendra Nagar, the project cost around Rs.889 crore. Visitors can do hands-on experiments and experience a Foucault pendulum demonstrating Earth's rotation, a 4D theatre, auditorium and even have selfie with a silicon statue of Dr Kalam. Regular inspection of the project by chief minister Nitish Kumar also incurred partial opening with key galleries to ignite curiosity among students and families about science. A dedicated Makhana Board was opened at Purnea this year by PM Modi in conformity to the announcement made in the Union Budget to give a boost to rural economy. Based in the north-eastern district, the board has been set up with a Rs.476 crore development package to enhance production, processing, value addition, branding and global marketing of makhana, which is considered the state's superfood. About 90% of India's makhana yield comes from Mithilanchal region.The board is working with a mandate to form farmers producer organisations (FPOs), provide them training and technology, arrange cold storage and export infrastructure to curb post-harvest losses and earn better prices. Recognising GI-tagged Mithila Makhana's nutritional value, this initiative empowers thousands of farmers, diversifies agriculture, generates rural jobs, and positions Bihar as a global leader in premium fox nuts - a praiseworthy step towards sustainable incomes, women's empowerment in processing, and elevating a traditional crop to international markets. The aviation sector achieved significant progress in Bihar with PM Modi inaugurating an interim terminal for commercial flights at Purnea Airport, a defence establishment, on September 15. On the opening day, maiden flights of IndiGo and Star Air arrived from Kolkata and Ahmedabad respectively, kicking off the services to connect the two major cities with the north eastern district of Bihar. A new terminal at Patna's Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport with expanded handling capacity and amenities for passengers was also inaugurated. These interconnected developments bridge regional disparities, spurring tourism, trade in makhana and corn and employment in areas long craving connectivity. Purnea's rapid rise onto India's aviation map, coupled with Patna's upgrades has been hailed as a major step to unlock economic potential and foster inclusive growth in remote pockets like Kosi and Seemanchal. The Bihar government's launch of the new Industrial Investment Promotion policy 2025 stands out as a visionary step to woo big ticket investments. The policy envisages offering land at a nominal Rs.1, grant of up to 300% tax reimbursement over 14 years, interest subvention till Rs.40 crore, 30% capital subsidy and doubled export incentives to Rs.40 lakh annually. Investors under the policy will be given additional incentives like grants for employment generation support and skill development, renewable energy rebates and environmental protection reimbursements, valid for applications till March 2026. The long-awaited plan to develop Bihta airport at the Indian Air Force facility for commercial flight operation - initiated in 2015 with an initial allocation of Rs.260 crore to acquire 126 acres of land around the airbase - saw very little progress this year, despite high expectations of the fliers. Originally slated for commercial operations by 2019, the project, aimed at decongesting Patna's overburdened Jay Prakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport and handling larger aircraft, remained bogged down by procedural wrangles for years. While the process of land acquisition and preparatory tasks began mid-year following a main contract award to a Russian firm earlier in 2025, a key Rs.86 crore subcontract for the integrated terminal, utility building, elevated road and associated structures was only awarded in December to the SEPC-Furlong Joint Venture. Officials connected with the project said that it may complete in 2027, and added that the delay has already overburdened the existing facilities and affected aviation growth. Five years after the Bihar State University Service Commission (BSUSC) invited applications to fill up vacant posts of 4,638 assistant professors across 52 subjects in September 2020 - just ahead of assembly elections - the recruitment remains entangled in chaos, with applicants filling over 1,100 cases in the Patna high court challenging the procedural wrongs. Allegations of forged experience certificates, fake research papers, irregularities in document verification and disputes in reservation roster have plagued the process, causing repeated stays and cancellations of interviews in certain subjects. Superannuation of teachers have effectively nullified appointments of around 3,000 teachers made earlier, leaving state universities severely understaffed and impacting teaching quality. While the BSUSC has completed allotments in some subjects, fresh plans for a transparent written test-based mechanism - possibly involving UGC NET qualifiers - are underway to curb litigation. The long-awaited reconstruction of the four-lane Sultanganj-Aguwanighat bridge, connecting Bhagalpur and Khagaria, on the river Ganga, is yet to start, even as the earthwork to build the approach roads has begun this year. Chief minister Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation stone of the project, costing Rs.1,710 crore, in 2014. The project, which was already delayed, suffered two minor accidents in its early stages in 2022 and was later corrected. However, the bridge suffered massive damage in 2024 when a portion of the 3.16-km main bridge structure collapsed amid flooding owing to alleged flaws in its design. The construction company, SP Singla Constructions, had promised in the Patna high court to rebuild the bridge without any cost to the state. However, officials said that progress to build the core river span remains limited, with much of the work focused on approach roads. Recent reviews by senior officials, including chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit, have underlined the state's emphasis for stricter monitoring and timely completion of the project by May 2027. Bihar government's special survey and digitisation of land records, which earlier set to complete by July 2025, remains far from over. The revenue and land reforms department has relaunched the programme, which envisaged using drones, satellite imagery and other modern tools to update entries across some 45,000 revenue villages for resolving land disputes. However, it has been hampered by technical glitches, staffing shortage and complicated field-level conflicts. There have been multiple deadline shifts. Officials now hope to wrap-up the project by December 2026, as work continues on digitising old records and processing self-declarations from landowners. The CM has time and again underlined that the land-related disputes are major sources to crimes and litigations. A section of the officials claim that the slow rollout sustains risks of fraud in property mutations and could deny farmers easier access to loans or government benefits. Another section, however, feared that the fast paced digitisation of records might affect accuracy in digital records and mount the chance of litigation. The proposed Multi-modal logistics park at Fatuha near Patna, approved in early 2023 as a joint venture of the state government, National Highways Logistics Management Ltd and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, remains incomplete. Planned on a 100-acre plot as the first such facility in Bihar, the park is located at a strategic place to have smooth connectivity with road, rail and waterway. Officials said that inordinate delays in land transfers and protracted disputes over compensation has hit the project. By late 2025, only partial acquisition has been achieved, even as related plans for a nearby FinTech City are in advance stage.The delay postpones potential gains in freight efficiency, lower transport costs and employment in the industrially active area. As neighbouring states are racing ahead to execute similar projects, analysts say that Bihar may lag far behind in attracting investment and integrating it in the broader national logistics networks....