'Tenders invited for steel structure of Gandhi Setu'

PATNA: Road construction department (RCD) minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday said tenders have been invited for the construction of a steel superstructure on Mahatma Gandhi Setu with an estimated cost of Rs1,355 crore. The Union ministry for road transport and highways has already approved the project for the Setu's repair.

Replying to a question of Dilip K Chaudhary of the Congress in the Upper House, the minister said he had a detailed discussion with Union minister Nitin Gadkari as regards to the clearance of pending national highway projects and setu repair.

The minister admitted that there were reports of recurrent traffic jams on the setu. Recently, pillar number 444/46 of the setu, which connects north to south Bihar, had been damaged. There is no problem in plying of ambulances on the setu. In case of traffic jam, police force normally escorts ambulance on this stretch, the minister said.

Tejashwi also said a pontoon bridge parallel to Gandhi Setu would be ready by next year. The first lane of the pontoon bridge would be completed in the current financial year. The second lane would be completed by 2017, he said.

The minister also said the repair work on Rajendra bridge has been completed. Normal traffic on the double lane has already been started from July 31. With normalcy on Rajendra rail cum road bridge, the pressure on Gandhi Setu would be hugely reduced, the minister said.On the pending national highway projects in Bihar, Tejashwi said there was no obstacle in the construction of four-lane road from Patna to Dobhi on NH-83. The land acquisition officers of Patna, Gaya and Jehanabad have been asked to clear the compensation amount to farmers for paving the way for the construction of the 120km stretch of road, he said.

Recalling his last meeting with Gadkari, Tejashwi said he had assured him to clear all the pending national highway projects in the state. All the proposals regarding the land acquisition sent to the NHAI would be cleared as soon as possible.The minister admitted that the delay on Patna-Dobhi highway was related to the fixation over the payment of compensation amount to the farmers who were demanding four times higher than the new rate implemented from January 1, 2014. Now, it has been sorted out, the minister said.He also said recently, Union secretary of road transport and highways had a meeting with the state chief secretary regarding the clearance of all such pending national highways projects in the state.