Team Herald
PANJIM: The under-construction new Zuari bridge will miss yet another deadline and PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar has now said that the bridge work will be completed by December 2021.
The minister had earlier said that the bridge will be ready by June 2021. Before this, he had said the bridge, whose work began in October 2016 would be ready by April 2021.
Pauskar attributed the delay to the prevailing COVID pandemic that has caused a shortage of material and manpower.
He explained that they need persons with right technical expertise as it is a job of high quality, besides the need for adequate labourers. Similar is the case with getting the requisite items for the major infrastructure project, whose arrival in Goa has been delayed.
He added that problems due to COVID had caused several interruptions and difficulties in the past as well.
He pointed out that one four-lane road was to be ready this month but will not be ready by June as just 80 per cent of it is ready. He emphasised that he had been personally monitoring the site, having visited the workshop, and that now, only the work of fitting the superstructure is pending.
He reiterated that the contractor had been working to meet the earlier set targets and that both the lanes of the bridge will be ready by December 2021.
Giving updates about other phases of the work, he referred to how 95 per cent of the work on the approach road on the Verna side has been completed whereas 70 per cent of the approach road from Bambolim to Agassaim has been completed.
