When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in February, 2015, it announced that the project will be completed within a year, by June, 2016. But it missed the deadline, which was further extended to July, 2017
The Delhi government's state-of-the-art Signature Bridge, supposed to connect north-east Delhi with outer Delhi, is all set to miss the July deadline as well.
Not only that, the cost of the project has further escalated by Rs 456 crore, with Delhi Tourism Department demanding this money from the state government. The initial cost was pegged at Rs 887 crore but then it escalated from Rs 1,131 crore in 2010 to Rs 1,594 crore in 2015. Now, it has further escalated by Rs 456 crore.
Being constructed by the Delhi Tourism Department, the bridge was to be completed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games and was to become operational by July, 2017. When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in February, 2015, it announced that the project will be completed within a year, by June, 2016. But it missed the deadline, which was further extended to July, 2017.
Sources said undue interference from various quarters have led to the delay in the project, which is only 60 per cent completed. "Around 40 per cent of the work is still pending. The cost has escalated due to various reasons, including rise in price of essential building materials. Once completed, however, the government can recover the amount through commercial activities planned along the river side under the bridge," a senior IAS officer associated with the project said.
The Signature Bridge will connect north-east Delhi to outer Delhi. It will also be a gateway to the Tronica City in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which is being developed on the lines of Indirapuram and Kaushambi of Ghaziabad.
According to sources, it is for the sixth time that the government has missed the deadline for completion of the project.The project has been persistently marred by delays over the years, for various reasons, ranging from requirement of 21 environmental clearances to financial constraints cited by contractors.
The redesigning of the bridge's foundation is also said to be one of the major reasons for the delay. Besides, modification in original plan, which included increasing the length of the bridge from 660 m to 675 m, and width from 33 m to 35.2 m, was another reason cited for the delay. The original plan was to construct the bridge with concrete but later steel pylon was decided upon.
The development of the river bed would be a part of the second phase of the project. The Signature bridge will be a cable-stayed structure with a main span of about 251 m. The height of a single inclined steel pylon will be about 154 m. The central pylon will be made of high-grade steel, which will be manufactured in China.
The bridge will have a bow-shaped steel pylon and will be twice as high as Qutub Minar. Its longest slab without support will be 251 m. The structure will have LED lights for illumination during festivals and special days. The new bridge is 600m downstream the existing bridge and will connect the Outer Ring Road on the western bank with the Wazirabad Road on the eastern bank of the Yamuna.
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