Deadline after deadline, but the Gola Motor bridge in Haldwani that has huge bearing on the socio-economic life of the citizens here as it is a feeder link to the important national highway-87, is unlikely to see the light of the day till May 15 as deadline given for its completion.
The citizens here maintain that presently three Cabinet Ministers in the State Government belong to this region. Yet the State Government is found to be helpless in making this bridge open to vehicular traffic.
Completion of the said motor bridge was on the top of priority list of the ruling Congress Party during assembly polls last year.
later the bridge had to be completed before the state annual day last year. However, the state Government later set May 15, 2013 as deadline for completion of the bridge on the Gola river in Haldwani which collapsed due to flood in 2008.
Expressing disappointment over delay in completion of the aforesaid bridge, Cabinet minister and MlA from lalkuwan Harish Chandra Durgapal after visiting the site on December 23, 2012 , set May 15 as deadline for completion of the said bridge, warning the officials concerned of the PWD against delay in this project.
In the meanwhile when asked about the progress of the said bridge, R C Pant, Assistant Engineer, PWD, told The Pioneer, that work is in progress in the Gola bridge and the bridge is likely to be ready by June 30, 2013.
The fact is that major repair works have been completed. Now works are on to ensure proper safety to the bridge from the flood during rainy season, he added.
But people are here not sure about completion of the bridge even till the end of June saying since only one month left in beginning rainy season, therefore, it is highly unlikely that the bridge would become functional for the vehicular traffic even till the end of June, the locals here expressed concerns.
The aforesaid bridge was collapsed due to flood in the local Gola river in 2008.Though following pressure from the local people work was started later to repair this bridge, surprisingly, the repair works are yet to be completed.
Following delay in making this bridge functional not only the huge people of Haldwani and Golapar region have been affected but also that of the rest of the kumaon region as the bridge comes in handy for the transporters to approach the highway NH-87 towards Almora without passing through the busy Haldwani city.
Besides, the bridge is also important for transportation of goods particularly agricultural produce for farmers of the Golapar area to the main Haldwani mandi/ market.
More so, due to delay in completing of the Gola river bridge, transport services have also been affected in Sitarganj, Chorgalia, Pilibhit and different parts of the Kumaon region, apart from the Golapar and Haldwani region.