Inordinate delay in construction of the Signature Bridge across the Yamuna today came under the scanner of the Delhi High Court which asked the Centre and the AAP government when would the project be completed.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to various agencies of the Centre and the Delhi government and sought their replies on the variation in cost since the day the project began.
The bench also ordered a structural and technical audit in two weeks time of the Wazirabad bridge in North-East Delhi, which is presently being used by the public to commue to and fro from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
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Announced in 2004, the project received a nod from the Delhi Cabinet in 2007 and was initially expected to be completed at a modified estimate of Rs 1,131 crore by the Commonwealth Games that was held here in October 2010.
In 2015, the initial cost of the project rose to Rs 1,594 crore. Reportedly, the bridge was proposed for the first time as early as in 1997 at an initial cost pegged at Rs 464 crore.
The Signature Bridge, when completed, is expected to share the burden of vehicular traffic which is being borne by the Wazirabad bridge.
The court fixed the matter for November 29.
It was a hearing a public interest litigation by advocate Pratibha Chopra, who has alleged that the construction of the Signature bridge has missed various deadlines since 2011.
Seeking to expedite the completion of construction, the plea has contended that lives of lakhs of commuters, who are regularly stranded for over 3-4 hours a day on Wazirabad bridge, are at risk as it is an old and ageing bridge which can cave in anytime.
A tragedy is waiting to happen, the plea has said and added that the proposed Signature Bridge will positively change traffic condition on both sides of Yamuna and benefit people of Delhi in travelling to industrial areas of Uttar Pradesh, like Tronica city in Ghaziabad.
The plea said to avoid any tragic fallout, the agencies should complete the project or else they should be ready to take responsibility in case of any mishap.
The lawyer in her plea has sought a maintenance audit of all the old bridges in the country by an expert committee constituted by the court.
According to the government, the Signature Bridge had obtained environmental clearance in 2011 and was set to be completed by December 2013. The date of completion was pushed to June 2016 and then to July 2017, which was further pushed to December 2017, and is now expected to be delayed further.
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