GUWAHATI: The foot over-bridge in front of the historic Sukreswar Temple at MG Road, Guwahati is currently being demolished by Public Works Department (PWD).
While Guwahatians have been speculating about the sudden demolishing of this bridge, G Plus spoke to the PWD to get details of the same.
As informed by PWD officials, the old structure is being taken down to make way for the construction of a new foot over-bridge in its place.
Hemanta Deori Bharali, Executive Engineer of PWD Roads, East Zone said, "The old bridge was not constructed by PWD. It had a few issues and was not much in public use. The new one is a part of the nine foot over-bridges to be constructed across Guwahati."
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The new bridge will have two lifts. Escalator facilities will not be available due to lack of adequate and proper space, he added.
Earlier, PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated that nine foot over bridges would be inaugurated in Guwahati together on 1st February next.
The old bridge near Sukreswar Temple was constructed by Lions Club of Guwahati Kamrupa in 2007 at a cost of over Rs. 20 lakhs.
“The bridge was donated by Lion Ashok Kumar Agarwal and his family under the banner of Lions Club of Guwahati Kamrupa and Bajrang Lal Agarwala Charitable Trust,” a senior member of the club informed G Plus.
He further added that the club had constructed the bridge as part of their service activity. When they were informed that the bridge would be broken down just because it didn’t have lift facility, they offered to construct the same. However the government officials were adamant on breaking it.
“This was probably the first foot-over bridge to have been constructed by any NGO in Guwahati and it pains us to see it being torn down,” he emphasised.
The cost and details of the upcoming bridge are yet to be ascertained.