The foundation stone laying of the much awaited second Brahamani bridge is scheduled to be held on July 21 at Balughat area of Rourkela city, by Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Senior BJP leader and Rourkela MlA Dilip Ray, while interacting with mediapersons, here said this on Saturday. The officials of National Highway Authority have also confirmed that they have too received messages for preparing the foundation stone laying ceremony.
Significantly, with demand from various quarters rising since last five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a second Brahamani bridge during his speech here at Rourkela during April 2015. But due to one reason or other, the construction of the bridge has been delayed stoking much resentment here.
MlA Ray had protested the inordinate delay and even boycotted various programmes of his party on this ground. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a letter to Gadkari, during May 2017, had raised his concern over the inordinate delay in construction of the flyover and urged him to start the construction work without any further delay.
In his response Gadkari had intimated that the foundation stone laying of the second Brahamani bridge will take place during third week of June, which however was not done, due to delay in tender opening.
“The bridge over river Brahamani from Balughat to TCI square would be constructed with a budgeted estimate of about Rs 565 crore,” Ray said. The bridge would be part of the six lane National Highway from Rajamunda to Biramitrapur, he added.
Union Tribal Affair Minister and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram who would also attend the programme, also confirmed about the event. “Necessary direction has been given to concerned authority for foundation stone laying ceremony of on July 21, but the final confirmation would be released from the office of the Union Surface Transport Minister on Monday,” Oram said.
The officials of the NHAI have also confirmed that they have been asked from their Delhi office to make necessary preparation for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the bridge.