Ruling, oppn’s ‘fight for credit’ delays Jugsalai bridge opening

The new road over bridge that connects Jugsalai with Rajnagar Bagbera Jilingora and Harhargutu has been delayed reportedly because of a fight between the ruling and opposition parties to take credit for the project. The delay has irked the city residents who are now demanding the railways and the state government to throw it open for the public at the earliest. The bridge's foundation stone was laid by the previous BJP government in 2018, but the construction was delayed by about two years due to changes in design leading to an escalation in its cost. The bridge is now ready for many weeks, but is awaiting inauguration. Opposition BJP too has backed the residents' demands. The former chief minister Raghubar Das said "the rob should have been made operational much earlier but due to the lackadaisical approach of the current state government the project work was delayed." Das said when he laid the foundation of stone for the project in November 2018, the project was expected to be complete by 2020. However, it was then pegged to cost Rs 29 crore. "But the project was revised midway due to the changes in the design of the approach roads to the bridge causing the cost escalation," he said. The rob's current expenditure is pegged at over Rs