TMC chief Mamata Banerjee file photo
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced the completion of the alternative bridge with hume pipes at Dudhia, connecting Mirik with Siliguri in Darjeeling district, where various infrastructure and roads were damaged due to landslides triggered by heavy rain earlier this month.
She said normal traffic over the temporary bridge will resume from Monday.
In a post on social media, Banerjee said the 468-metre-long bridge was completed within 16 days through continuous work under challenging conditions.
A total of 132 hume pipes of 1200-mm-diameter were used in the construction.
"I am happy to inform that the construction of the alternative Hume Pipe Bridge (Vented Causeway) at Dudhia, connecting Mirik with Siliguri, has been successfully completed. Normal traffic will resume over it from tomorrow," she wrote on her Facebook page.
The chief minister said the previous bridge, built in 1965, had become structurally weak, prompting the state government to sanction a new bridge project worth Rs 54 crore, which is under construction.
Banerjee commended the Public Works Department team for completing the alternative bridge in record time despite difficult working conditions, saying that this development would bring major relief to residents and commuters along the Mirik-Siliguri route.