PANAJI
After a long delay, the reconstructed bridge over St Inez creek was finally inaugurated by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday.
Work on the bridge started in December 2016. And yet again, the occasion came as an opportunity for Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (GSIDC) Vice-President Sidharth Kuncalienkar to assert that the Corporation will soon work on revitalising the creek, an assurance that has remained more on paper than anything.
Kuncalienkar said that the Corporation, which oversaw the building of the bridge, “wanted the St Inez Creek to be a navigable channel.”
The bridge took longer than expected to complete due to technical difficulties, Kuncalienkar said. He was referring to a change in the design of the bridge because of the
weak soil.
He also revealed that a total of Rs 2.22 crore was spent by the government on the bridge which measures 19 meters in length, and is arc-shaped, with a footpath on either side.
Kuncalienkar said that while the revitalisation of the St Inez Creek was one of the projects that the GSIDC would seek to undertake, the total cost of the bridge did not include this revitalisation. However, with the reconstruction of the bridge, “revitalising the creek would not be a problem,” Kuncalienkar said.
He said while reconstructing the bridge, obstructions in the creek had to be removed to make sure it was an open channel. The bridge also has provisions made for a water line, electricity line, and telephone line to pass under its footpath. Decorative illumination is also provided.
The GSIDC also plans to reconstruct a couple of other old bridges that are not in good shape.
