Majherhat bridge: Bengal minister, railways blame each other over clearance

Slamming BJP national general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya for holding a rally demanding immediate opening of the new bridge, Biswas alleged that its construction got delayed because the Railways took nine months to issue clearances. He said once the Railways gives its nod, the newly constructed Majerhat bridge will be inaugurated for the common people.

West Bengal PWD minister Aroop Biswas on Thursday blamed it on the Railway authorities for the delay in the inauguration of the newly constructed Majerhat bridge saying that the authorities were not issuing necessary clearances for the structure. The Railways denied the charge and claimed that the mandatory safety certificate is awaited from the state PWD.

A portion of the Majerhat bridge over railway tracks, connecting Kolkata with its southern fringes and beyond collapsed on September 4, 2018 killing two persons. It was demolished and a new cable-stayed bridge was constructed which is expected to be thrown open to the public next month. Slamming BJP national general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya for holding a rally demanding immediate opening of the new bridge, Biswas alleged that its construction got delayed because the Railways took nine months to issue clearances.

He said once the Railways gives its nod, the newly constructed Majerhat bridge will be inaugurated for the common people. The PWD has sent a letter to the Railways to get permission for "railway safety" on November 24 and the department is yet to get it, he said.

"All codal formalities prior to opening of the ROB (rail over bridge) have been completed. It is expected that mandatory safety certificate from PWD will be received shortly for giving clearance by Railways. No other issue is pending with Railways," the Railways tweeted. Construction works for the new cable-stayed Majerhat bridge started on December 27, 2018, the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)