Team Herald
PANJIM: Even as numerous Goans are stuck in humongous traffic jams around the Zuari bridge construction zone from Cortalim to Goa Velha, the consultant cum designer of the bridge is stuck in far away China.
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PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar on Monday said that completion of the signature bridge across River Zuari is likely to be delayed as the visa of a Chinese consultant-cum-designer has still not been sanctioned by the Government of India.
The State government had earlier planned to inaugurate one-lane of the signature bridge at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to throw it open to traffic from December 19, on the occasion of completion of 60 years of Liberation.
“Zuari bridge work is delayed due to visa for the consultant from China, who has designed the bridge. His visa has not been sanctioned though we had put up a proposal two months ago. As he has not arrived, Zuari bridge work has remained pending,” Pauskar said, adding that the consultant is likely to arrive in Goa soon.
During his visit to Goa last month to review major ongoing highway projects in the State, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that he would write to the Ministry of External Affairs to grant a visa to the Chinese consultant working on the bridge project in Goa.
Since the designer was in China, the work of the eight-lane bridge was getting delayed as contacting him was consuming time. The launching of girder and stressing of cables was sent to the designer through video recordings and internet and it was only after this was approved that further work was taken up.
The Minister further said that the Zuari bridge work comprises of three packages. Package I comprises 8.2-km-long road works from GMC Bambolim to Goa Velha; Package II is 1.08-km Zuari Bridge work and Package III is 3.6-km road from the bridge up to Verna. Package I and Package III works are 95 per cent complete and only Package II work has been delayed since the designer could not visit Goa due to the visa problems.
