MP CM set to inaugurate portion of under-construction flyover in Jabalpur, Cong calls it poll gimmick

A political debate has risen over BJP-led state government's decision to inaugurate a portion of the under-construction flyover in Jabalpur. While Congress termed it as an election gimmick, the saffron party said it was going ahead with the inauguration since it will take a year more to complete the entire flyover.

Jabalpur: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is set to inaugurate a portion of the 8-km under-construction flyover from Gulati petrol pump in Jabalpur to Mahananda on September 27.

The move has drawn criticism from Congress which alleged that the BJP-led government is rushing ahead to inaugurate an under-construction flyover in an attempt to make the announcement before implementation of the Model Code of Conduct. Through the project, the government plans to take claim for its work even though it has not been finished, a Congress leader said. Refuting it, the BJP said since majority of the work is complete, the government has decided to inaugurate it.

Jabalpur MP Rakesh Singh said that 50 percent of the flyover is ready while the remaining 30 percent work remains untouched. "Since construction work of the entire flyover has not been completed, the entire stretch cannot be inaugurated at the moment," he said.

The entire flyover will be completed in 2024 and it will be a cable-stayed bridge. The bridge over the railway will be built by the Railways.

Congress alleged that by inaugurating the incomplete flyover, the BJP wants to gain advantage in the upcoming assembly elections. According to a Congress leader, BJP is afraid that if it fails to forms the government in Madhya Pradesh, the saffron party will not be able to get the credit for its work. Hence, the party is inaugurating an incomplete flyover.

After the flyover is thrown open to the public, it will help in doing away with traffic congestion in the area. Presently, commuters face a lot of problems due to traffic congestion at Madan Mahal intersection and this will be addressed once the flyover is operational.