has now come to the fore that the traffic congestion is not just for the rise in tourists but due to the State government’s deadline of completing the bridge work before December 19, when Goa celebrates 60 years of liberation.
The BJP and Dr Pramod Sawant have nothing in mind about the 60th year of liberation and what they would achieve by inaugurating the one lane.
The BJP and Sawant somehow want to complete the one lane to showcase their achievement of development in the form of the new Zuari bridge ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, or the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkapronn
Goa is witnessing one of the worst traffic congestions these days on the Panaji-Margao route due to the ongoing work on the “State of the Art” Zuari bridge. At peak hours, the commuters have complained of even taking 3 hours to reach Panaji to Margao or vice-versa.
Agreed, the situation can be partly attributed to the rise in the tourists in Diwali weekend, but that’s just the part of it.
Even as the traffic comes to a standstill, the traffic cops can still be seen issuing challans for helmets instead of diffusing the congestion.
It has now come to the fore that the traffic congestion is not just for the rise in tourists but due to the State government’s deadline of completing the bridge work before December 19, when Goa celebrates 60 years of liberation.
The BJP and Dr Pramod Sawant have nothing in mind about the 60th year of liberation and what they would achieve by inaugurating the one lane.
The BJP and Sawant somehow want to complete the one lane to showcase their achievement of development in the form of the new Zuari bridge ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, or the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.
We all saw what happened with the Atal Sethu, which was called the “Engineering Marvel”. The BJP wanted the bridge to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, fighting critical cancer then. The BJP and government knew Parrikar was in the last stage of cancer, and despite that, they brought him all the way to the bridge to inaugurate and give a speech. We all remember that short speech wherein he asked, “How’s Josh?”.
However, in that hurry in which GSIDC asked Larsen and Tubro, an internationally acclaimed company, to complete the bridge, but the results are there for all to see.
At least three times in the last two and half years, one arm of the bridge has been closed for repairs.
Besides Atal Sethu, which has cost close to Rs 800 cr, it must be the first bridge in India that developed potholes within six months.
Now the BJP and the government are showing similar hurry in the inauguration of one lane of the Zuari bridge.
Not just CM Dr Pramod Sawant but the Union Minister of Road and Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari also said they want to inaugurate the bridge’s one lane of bridge by December 16.
However, if one takes a look at the current status of the bridge, one feels it may take at least six more months to complete the lane. So the government wants the contractor M/s Dilip Builcon to complete the work in one month, which would otherwise take six months?
So what would be the quality of work?
As I passed through the bridge the other day, I parked my car just to have a look at the work completed so far. I found the CM and Gadkari’s claim bizarre.
There were at least 20 more cables to be laid, and enquiries revealed that each cable needs at needs three days for fitting. So by this calculation, the contractor needs 60 days for cables only. Thereafter, the glue, hot mixing, and load testing could take at least more than a month.
While all this is done, the work on the approach road for the lane is far from over. So why does the government want just one lane in such a hurry?
We all know what could be the disastrous result if the bridge is inaugurated without load testing.
Why risk people’s lives for electoral gains, Mr CM?
