PANJIM: State government has decided to form a panel of expert engineers to study the new proposed six-lane Zuari Bridge design, to be prepared by project consultant S N Bhobe, after the Bridge designed by the consultancy firm collapsed in Surat in Gujarat in June, earlier this year.
Government Saturday afternoon held a special meeting with the consultant on Zuari Bridge alignment, wherein they suggested three alignments for building the bridge. The meeting was attended by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, Public Works Department Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar and others.
Emerging out of meeting, Dhavalikar told media persons that government will form a panel of engineers including engineers from PWD to study the design to be prepared by the consultant S N Bhobe before executing the plan in reality. “We will not take any risk,” he said.
When asked about why government is going ahead with S N Bhobe consultancy, Minister said “we have signed an agreement with the firm and we cannot withdraw it in between. We will have to pay them huge compensation.”
“Also, they are yet to be proven guilty,” Dhavalikar added. The consultancy firm is booked by Surat police under culpable homicide not amounting to murder (section 304 IPC), besides other sections of the IPC blaming them for the collapse of the fly over under construction, at Athwalines that killed ten labourers.
Meanwhile, the project consultants have submitted a preliminary report to the government suggesting three alignments for building the bridge, one of which would be finalized within next one week.
Dhavalikar said that a final project of the proposed Zuari Bridge would be drafted within next one week with details on land acquisition, total number of houses to be displaced and rehabilitated, etc. He said that the detailed project report (DPR) would be submitted to Union Ministry for Roads and Highways within a fortnight.
The Minister has assured to provide compensation as per Land Acquisition Policy and rehabilitate the people, whose houses would be demolished while executing the project.
Rs 1000 crore project would be fully funded by the Central government.
The government is planning to make the new Zuari bridge, a signature bridge, with unique design features such that it would be a tourist attraction. The present Zuari bridge, a lifeline connecting North with South, is in bad condition and cannot sustain much traffic.
