Kolkata, Oct 1 (IANS): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari thanked the Central government on Thursday for sanctioning a crucial bridge project worth Rs 1,175.59 crore over the Teesta River.
The six-lane bridge over the Teesta River will be Rs 6.91 km long.
“On behalf of the People of West Bengal, I convey our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Central Government under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri #narndramodi Ji and the Hon’ble Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri @niti gadkari ji for sanctioning ₹1,175.59 crore for the 6.91-km, 6-lane bridge across the River Teesta at Sevoke,” the Chief Minister said in a social media post.
In his statement, the Chief Minister said the project was extremely important, given the strategic significance of the Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the Chicken Neck Sector, and the ecological demands of the terrain where a high-capacity, durable crossing across the Teesta River was a necessity.
According to him, the upgradation of the National Highway-10 will ensure smoother passenger and freight transit, strengthen regional supply chains towards North Bengal, Sikkim and the entire North-Eastern India.
According to him, the project will also open new avenues of economic development for local communities. “We deeply appreciate this cooperative federal effort and reaffirm our commitment to facilitating all necessary on-ground support to see this project completed expeditiously,” the Chief Minister said.
The bridge project over the Teesta River was in the pipeline for quite some time and is expected to serve as an alternative to the historic Coronation Bridge, which was commissioned in 1941.
Since the new state government in West Bengal took over, the administration has been very active in improving infrastructure in North Bengal, which had been neglected for a long time.
A member of the state cabinet said that the government is actively coordinating with the Union government to ensure infrastructure development in North Bengal. “Our aim is to ensure economic development of North Bengal by promoting ‘Triple T’, that is, ‘tea, timber and tourism’ sector. And to do that, the infrastructure development in the region is extremely crucial. The said bridge project is a major milestone, on this count,” said the member of the state cabinet.
