BH Correspondent
Kolkata: The December 2019 deadline missed, the state PWD department is looking to open the new Majerhat bridge by September so that Durga Puja pandal-hoppers can move around with ease. The new bridge will also greatly help daily commuters who now have to travel long distances to get to their place of work.
Jayanta Sanyal, a senior officer from the department said, “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wanted the bridge opened to traffic by the end of December 2019, before the Gangasagar pilgrimage season. But the delay by the Commission of Railway Security in clearing the papers did not allow that to happen. Now that the authorities have cleared the plan, erection of the super structure has started. Unless there are any more issues on the part of the railways, the project will be completed by September.”
When a senior officer of the railway department was contacted by this news portal, he said that the West Bengal PWD had submitted the papers without furnishing a lot of documents that need to be looked into before granting the permission. He mentioned that the entire plan, including the maintenance, understanding of the bridge between the state and the Eastern Railways have to be made clear along with the submission of the super structure specifications of the joining girders on which the cable-stayed bridge will be laid. “Since these technical papers were furnished late, it took long for us to clear the project over the rail tracks,” he said.
Daily commuters who are experiencing a harrowing time are eagerly waiting for the bridge to open as it is not only taking double their time but is also pinching their pocket. Sudeshna Roy, an office- goer said, “The auto-rickshaw drivers are charging us almost double the amount. In fact, when we enquired with them, we came to know that the number of trips they were doing per day have been reduced considerably and the fuel consumption have become double due to the excessive traffic jams on the stretch. So the opening of the bridge will help everyone.”
