TORSA BRIDGE

 

PWD Minister inaugurates bridge over Torsa

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 17: State PWD minister Mr Kshiti Goswami inaugurated the third road bridge over Torsa river in Cooch Behar on Wednesday afternoon. The newly constructed bridge is situated between Falakata and Pundibari along National Highway-31.

 

Forest minister Mr Ananta Roy, minister of state (PWD) Mr Manohar Tirkey, Cooch Behar MP (Lok Sabha) Mr Hiten Barman, Ms Kumari Kujur (MLA) and sabhadhipati of Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad Mr Dilip Biswas were present at the inaugural ceremony.

 

PWD sources said that Rs 67.16-crore was spent to construct the 854-metre bridge and the 23-kilometre approach road. The survey for the project was initiated in 1953 but the work was done by 17 years only, PWD officials claimed. During his address the PWD minister too admitted the delay in constructing the bridge.

 

On the otherhand, on behalf of the Pundibari Torsa Setu Nirman Sangram Samity Mr Debabrata Chaki recalled that the actual initiative to construct the much-needed bridge was taken in 1984. The work for the concrete bridge was started in 1991. Construction work was suspended in 2001 for different problems. In 2003 the PTSNSS was formed to put pressure on the authorities to resume work. Ex-MP Mr DP Roy (now the Jalpaiguri MLA) took the initiative and in 2005 construction work was resumed, Mr Chaki said. Mentionworthy, the PTSNSS got no invitation to the inaugural ceremony. []