Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia inspected the bridge on Tuesday morning and witnessed the installation of the final pylon at the site.
The construction work of the much-awaited Signature Bridge on the Yamuna river will be completed by October this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday. Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia inspected the bridge on Tuesday morning and witnessed the installation of the final pylon at the site.
The bridge, which was supposed to be ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has been declared a white elephant by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. A budget of Rs 1,131 crore was sanctioned, but till now Rs 1,575 crore has been spent.
"The construction work on the bridge, which started in 2010, was supposed to be completed in 2013, but it was delayed by five years. But, we hope that it (construction work) will be completed by October this year," Kejriwal said.
He said that the Delhi government would release the remaining amount of around Rs 100-125 crore either this month or the next for the project. "Now, there is no 'if and but' left (for non-completion of the project)," the chief minister said.
The ambitious Delhi government project located in Wazirabad to connect the north and east Delhi has not seen the light of the day. Being constructed under the Delhi Tourism department, the bridge — besides improving connectivity — will also emerge as a major tourist spot.
The project was proposed by the Sheila Dikshit government in 2004 and received a nod to start work in 2007. Initially, it was to be ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The bridge had obtained environmental clearance in 2011 and was set to be completed by December 2013. The date of completing the project was pushed to June 2016 and then to July 2017, which was further pushed to December 2017.
"A morning filled with pride as the #SignatureBridge rises with the rising sun today. CM @ArvindKejriwal & I witnessed the installation of final pylon at the site, which is at 154m height. Within 4 months the people of Delhi & the tourists will be able to stand where we do (sic)," Sisodia tweeted along with some photos of site inspection.
WORK BEGAN IN 2007
The project was proposed by the Sheila Dikshit government in 2004 and received a nod to start work in 2007. Initially, it was to be ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
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