Proposal for Wazirabad Pontoon Bridge is still stuck in bureaucratic mess much to the discomfort of commuters on ISBT-Wazirabad-Ghaziabad stretch leaving them stranded in traffic jams
Bimlendu Wazirabad
Wazirabad Pontoon Bridge, the makeshift annual jam-buster, connecting ISBT to East Delhi and further Ghaziabad, which was brought into being some seven or eight years back to decongest the perennially choked old Yamuna iron-bridg, is conspicuously absent this year. Normally operational for almost eight months from November-December till the onset of monsoon, it has missed its date with Delhi spawning numerous speculations about its unwanted disappearance which has left commuters on this stretch back to square one.
Again stranded in lengthy and stifling traffic jams people often enquire about the annual relief they have got accustomed to. "This used to be a huge relief for us," says a commuter stranded in the traffic jam at the old bridge red light questioning delay in having the regular makeshift arrangement’s absence this year.
This stretch has a history of long traffic jams and so the government had made this arrangement, which was used by light vehicles. Concerned officials in the PWD themselves had no idea as to why this hasn’t yet been cleared despite it being a regular feature. "This is a regular feature and proposal for it as usual has already been sent in August for approval which, most probably, looks to have got stuck somewhere in the finance department. The total cost of this project this year is Rs.89 lakh. Delhi government had invested crores in purchase of boats, which lay uselessly scattered near the Yamuna River, which normally by now should have been assembled and an approach road, in order to access this bridge should have been in place by now. As clearance for the project is still awaited, we are in a limbo," confide senior officials of PWD, the nodal government agency overseeing this stretch and the project. "This delay in clearing the proposal might be because of the confusion doing the rounds in official circles that recently inaugurated Geeta Colony Bridge might help defuse the pressure which unfortunately isn’t the case so we hope this project gets an early clearance as it is already late," enlightens another official. Earlier such projects (costing up to Rs.1 crore) were being cleared at the level of superintending engineer. Now, as chief engineer and above can only give clearance to such projects, these are getting delayed, he adds.
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