It is understood that work of constructing the twin towers with observatories atop the new Zuari bridge will begin in right earnest after Nitin Gadkari lays the foundation stone on December 22.The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also decided to allot 50,000 sq m of prime land in Verna to the contracted agency to recover its Rs 297 crore investment in the project. The land parcel may be used for construction of hotels, amusement parks, convention centres etc, as part of the deal, the agency has been given the concession to operate the towers for 50 years. No tangible monetary benefits accrue to the government coffers by the towers project. Once the towers are completed more land needs to be reclaimed from the Zuari river and its banks to build parking lots for visitors' vehicles below the bridge. The decision to build a tourist attraction right on top of a very busy traffic artery is flawed to say the least. It's a win-win situation for the contractor and another example of the Centre thrusting projects on to this land-scarce state in the name of development.
