Old Dhansiri bridge to be completed this year

[caption id="attachment_226012" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Workers are seen working at the Old Dhansiri bridge construction site near Urban Haat in Dimapur on Friday, Jan. 4.[/caption] Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, Jan. 4: Even as the traffic in Dimapur has been affected since the closure of the Old Dhansiri bridge near Urban Haat on Jan. 9, 2017, there is no respite in sight for the people as construction work of the link that connects Purana Bazar and the main city is progressing at a snail’s pace. The delay in completion of the Old Dhansiri bridge has become a matter of concern for the people of the city. The Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) had on Oct. 17, 2018 raised questions over the halting of construction works and demanded the Urban Development department to resume work immediately, warning that the public would hit the streets if it was not completed before the Christmas (December 2018). The engineer (who does not wish to be named) in-charge of the project told Eastern Mirror that the reconstruction of the bridge is taking time as the workers face technical issues to excavate and dismantle the old structure that was built by the British. Experts from Guwahati were brought in to oversee the technical hitches. The department is targeting to complete the foundation towards Purana Bazar area by this month (January), said the engineer, adding that last year's unprecedented rain disrupted the construction work. The piling work towards Urban Haat has been completed while the work towards Purana Bazar is expected to be done before the onset of monsoon. "The major junk of work is the construction of foundation and if that is completed, other constructions will not be an issue", said the engineer. While acknowledging the concern of the public and the traffic problem, the engineer said the quality of the bridge cannot be compromised (by completing hastily), and unlike other bridges, ‘the gravity of the work involved is complicated and people need to understand this and have patience while the department targets to complete the work by end of this year.’ The Urban Development department had earlier fulfilled its promise to complete had the construction of three pillars near the Urban Haat by Nov. or Dec. 2018. The Old Dhansiri bridge that connects the present-day Purana Bazaar and Supermarket was built by the British in the pre-independence era. The reconstruction project was proposed in 2008-09 but issues over ownership claim by the BRO halted it. Moreover, the cost of the project has escalated over the years. The engineer revealed that the initial budget of the project in 2008 was INR 9.81 crore but an additional amount of INR 3.93 crore approved in 2016 with the state government assuring to bear it (additional amount). It may be mentioned that the construction of RCCT-Beam bridge over the Dhansiri river was granted to M/S Aien Enterprises, CL-1 360 NPW, Dimapur Nagaland.