Daily commuters on that stretch of the highway would have been able to tell immediately that the promise of the bridge being opened by December 19, 2021 would never have materialised. The pace of work on the bridge would have to be hastened appreciably to meet this deadline and there was no such urgency witnessed. So, when the PWD Minister admits that the State government will not be able to fulfil its assurance of opening up one lane of the new Zuari bridge, it is met with nothing other than knowing nods of realisation from the people that this was nothing more than a promise that would never be met.
The delay in the work has been attributed to the adverse weather conditions and Covid pandemic related issues. The weather, undeniably, has played a major role in stalling, to some extent, the bridge work and also many other projects – public and private. But, the pandemic curve has been on a plateau and since the announcement was made of the bridge opening deadline, the number of cases have been considerably lower than before and all activity has returned to normal, so this can hardly be made out as an excuse that can be justified. So the government now awaits the arrival of the technical consultant from China before taking a final decision on the opening of the bridge.
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We are a little over a month away from December 19, so it can be assured that if this date is not feasible, it is unlikely that the bridge will be thrown open before the election code of conduct comes into force, which could be in early January 2022. In that case, that single arm of the bridge that was to be thrown open next month may not get a formal opening until March next year after a new government is sworn in, and if so there is no reason to expedite the bridge work, instead it would be preferable and practical to complete it without hurrying so that once the bridge is opened it will not require an closures for maintenance or repairs, as had occurred with the Atal Setu whose one arm is closed and that is also missing its reopening deadline.
Missing deadlines has become almost associated with the new Zuari bridge since work on the project started in 2016. The foundation stone was laid on January 1, 2016, and it was to be completed in two years from start of the work, but it’s already almost six years into construction, causing massive traffic jams on the existing highway and it is not yet ready. One segment was to be ready in December last year and then it was revised to March this year, before the December 19, 2021 deadline was announced. Now, there is no revised date and it perhaps best remains that way and a firm inaugural date given once it is nearing completion.
The Zuari bridge is just one example of the missing deadline phenomenon in Goa. There are a number of projects that have similarly been given completion dates but have not met them or are in stages of completion where they will not be ready before the promised date. The other such major project in the State – the Mopa airport – was due for completion in the financial year 2019-20. It has not happened yet and the new date for the opening of the first phase is August 15 of 2022. Whether that date is met will be known in time. Until then, it will be nothing more than a waiting game.
