Kota: One-and-a-half years after Rs 256 crore was sanctioned in the state budget for construction of a bridge over Chambal river in Gothra Kala, environmental approval for the project is yet to be received.
The detailed project report (DPR) for the project was prepared in 2021 after the previous Congress government announced the construction of the bridge after the Chambal boat mishap. The 1,880 metre bridge, planned over Chambal river near Balaji in Jharel, will be the longest in the state. It was announced after the tragedy on Chambal river in which 13 people were killed.
Approval from NBW awaited
The government has handed over the responsibility of construction of the bridge to the Public Works Department whose Superintending Engineer Rajesh Kumar Soni said the approval of National Board of Wildlife for the project is awaited. He said in a few days a meeting will be held in New Delhi after which the approval will be obtained. The state government has already approved the project, Soni said.
Forest Department's guidelines to be followed
Along with the approval, the guidelines issued by the Forest Department will be followed before the construction is started. After the tender is issued, the work will be allotted. After approval from the state government, the work will be started. Soni said the construction will start in 2025.
Bridge to be one lane wider than Jharel's Balaji
The construction of a bridge on the Chambal river is on at Jharel's Balaji. While the project is slated to be completed in 2025, it may be delayed as three bridges are being constructed with two lanes. The bridge in Gothra Kala will be longer and will connect Chambal Deepari village in Kota to Chanda Khurd in Bundi district. The bridge will have three three lanes. It carriageway will be of 10.5 metre against 7.5 metre for the bridge at Jharel's Balaji.
File stuck in red tape
After the DPR for the bridge was prepared, the Finance Department had instructed the Public Works Department to obtain environmental clearance for the project. The PWD had started the process and sought clearance from the Wildlife Department. But the Wildlife Department had sought administrative and financial approval for the clearance before sending the file to the National Board of Wildlife. Owing to this, the process for obtaining environmental clearance for the bridge was delayed.
Bridge will benefit people of Rajasthan and MP
After the construction of the bridge, the traffic from Gainta Makhida bridge will be diverted to it. This will benefit people of Etawah and Baran in Kota district as well as lakhs of people of Madhya Pradesh. People will be able to travel to Jaipur via Indragarh of Bundi district via Uniara, which will also reduce the distance to the state capital The longest bridge of the state at present is Gainta Makhida whose length is 1,652 meters.
Rs 2 crore to to be deposited for project cost
Soni said after approval from Wildlife Department is obtained, several formalities have to be completed. For this, two per cent of the project cost has to be deposited which amounts to around Rs 5 crores. Apart from this, the Forest Department will build a post near the bridge.
On December 16, 2020, 13 people on board a boat to Kamleshwar Mahadev Temple in Bundi from Etawah area of Kota district were killed after the vessel overturned in the middle of Chambal river. The boat was carrying over three dozen people and a large number of two-wheeler. After the mishap, the state government had announced construction of the bridge. But even after four years of the mishap, work on the bridge is yet to start.
The bridge's foundation stone was laid on September 30, 2022, by former MLA Ramnarayan Meena, with construction commencing in December. The project, sanctioned at Rs 165 crore, is being built with Rs 111 crore, while the remaining funds are allocated for land acquisition and forest department work.
