A bridge too far

The construction of the third Mandovi Bridge refuses to stay out of court, or controversy.

- Ramrai Naik

OBSTACLES CONTINUE TO rise in the developments of the third Mandovi Bridge, even though on the ground, work is seen to be going at a fast pace. Goa Government, during its inauguration, had claimed to be independently funding the new Mandovi Bridge project. However with the estimated costs which have almost doubled over a period of time, the state has approached the centre for reimbursement. The busy route in the capital has also witnessed some never-before-seen traffic woes in recent times due to this mega bridge construction.

In a meeting held in early September, state authorities had faced extreme difficulties in convincing the Centre on the 3kms-long link. As reported by TNN, Chief Secretary of Goa R K Srivastava had discussed several financial issues with the Principal Secretary to PM, Nripendra Misra; and on the matter of the third Mandovi bridge, Srivastava had requested reimbursement of 540 crore. There seems to have been no indication from centre on releasing the funds to Goa so far.