55 yrs to build bridge across Torsa

Ask the people of Cooch Behar how long it takes to build a bridge in West Bengal? And, they will answer you, “55 years.” Yes, that is how long it took for the policy makers to construct the bridge over Torsa river - from survey to completion.
The survey for the bridge was undertaken in 1953 and it was inaugurated yesterday 55 years later and who cares about the escalating construction costs even if it failed the envisaged construction cost for the bridge time and again. Here is an example. In 1985 the construction cost of the bridge was projected at 13.71-crore. Finally it took the police makers Rs 67.16-crore to complete the bridge.
The newly constructed bridge is situated between Falakata and Pundibari along National Highway-31. Its construction would reduce the distance from Cooch Behar to Assam and Meghalaya by 53-kilometre.
The convener of the Pundibari Torsa Setu Nirman Sangram Samity, Mr Debabrata Chaki said that the actual initiative to construct the much-needed bridge was taken in 1984. The work for the concrete bridge was started in 1991 but remained suspended in 2001 for different problems. In 2003 the PTSNSS was formed to put pressure on the authorities to resume work. An ex-member of the Parliament (now the Jalpaiguri MLA) Mr Debaprasad Roy took the initiative and in 2005 construction work was resumed, Mr Chaki said. Understandably, the PTSNSS was not invited to the inaugural ceremony yesterday.

Courtesy: The Statesman

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