Revive bids for building parallel bridge on BOT basis: Parrikar

Panaji, June 16 (UNI) Denouncing the Goa government for pressing the ''panic button'' by closing the Zuari bridge for heavy vehicles from today, former chief minister Manohar Parrikar demanded that the bids for building a parallel bridge at a cost of about Rs 250 crore should be revived.

Mr Parrikar said there was no need for panic as the cracks could be easily treated with chemicals. The decision was taken without consulting the top brass of the PWD deparment for different motives, he charged.

The government which had slept over the issue of building a parallel bridge on the River Zuari for selfish reasons and pressing the panic button, deserves to be ''kicked out lock, stock and barrel'' as it has failed to handle a small bridge, Mr Parrikar said.

''The bridge could be built on ''build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis without the involvement of the Union Ministry of Surface Transport, if the state government revived the expression of interest it had tendered in October 2003 during my tenure,'' he said.

The new bridge, preferably ''cable-stayed'' could be built within one year or 18 months with funds from the priate partner for which the state has to give a clearance, he said.

At the same time, he censured the government decision for closure of the vital bridge for heavy traffic on the Mumbai-Goa national highway linking the North and South Goa for developing 0.1 mm hairline cracks even as the Union Ministry allows cracks with 0.3 mm.

If the closure was really warranted, the government could have taken alternative arrangements such as providing enough mini-buses and ferries to halp the passengers to commute.

The ferry services were not necessary if the Kadamba Transport Corporation had arranged enough mini-buses or light vehicles for the transit of the passengers from one end to the other, he added.

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