The foundation for the twin-tower project was laid on December 22, 2023.
PANAJI
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that the work on the proposed observatory twin towers and restaurant atop the new Zuari Bridge will be completed by March 31, 2031.
Gadkari told the Lok Sabha that the central government has not sanctioned the work for the construction of the observatory tower as well as a revolving restaurant over the new Zuari Bridge.
“However, on the request of the State government of Goa, the central government has conveyed in-principle NOC to the State for leasing out the government land for the construction of the observatory tower, including a cafeteria, non-revolving restaurant and observatory gallery at the new Zuari Bridge under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode,” he said.
The Union Minister said that as per details provided by the State, the scheduled date for completion of the proposed observatory towers and restaurant along with other facilities is March 31, 2031. The Union Minister had, on May 23, held the ground-breaking ceremony of the Rs 270 crore project.
The PWD in 2023 had executed a concession agreement with Dilip Buildcon-owned subsidiary ” Zuari Observatory Towers ” for the construction of twin observatory towers and viewing galleries atop the bridge, which is expected to be completed within three years from the time of execution of the work.
The foundation for the project was laid on December 22, 2023 at the hands of Gadkari, who had later raised concern over the delay in commencing the work.
In November last year, the contractor completed the wind tunnel test on the model. Each of the twin towers will comprise four decks, of which three will be accessible to the public. One tower will be constructed towards the north side and the other towards the south. The design is already ready and has been sent to the consultant for design proofing. Each tower is expected to be at least 110 metres high from the water level.
Each of the towers is set to have the capacity to accommodate more than 500 persons at a time. It is likely that visitors will be provided access to the twin towers’ base through a permanent walkway and, once at the base of the towers, the visitors will be transported atop through high-speed elevators.
According to the tender, it is being constructed on a DBFOT basis, which means that the concessionaire will raise the revenue to cover the construction cost by charging a fee for use of the towers by visitors. As per the agreement, the contractor will operate the towers for 50 years, with visitors to the observatory being charged fees.
