A political tug of war seeking credit for the construction of the much-delayed Signature Bridge broke out between the Aam Aadmi Party Delhi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party opposition on the eve of its inauguration here on Saturday.
Scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday and in the proverbial pipeline for over 14 years, BJP Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari, who is also Member of Parliament from North-East Delhi and has not been invited to be a part of the ceremony, said he would be present nonetheless.
Bridge connects
The bridge connects Outer Ring Road on the western flank of the Yamuna river with the Wazirabad Road on the east.
The 675-metre bridge, originally conceptualised in 2004, will be finally available for public use from November 5.
The bridge will also house a glass box at a height of 154 metres for visitors to indulge in a panoramic view of the Capital.
This, even as the AAP Delhi government credited Tourism Minister and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for his contribution in the expediting the construction of the multi-crore rupee project.
“I will visit the Signature Bridge in my (Parliamentary) constituency after 3 p.m. tomorrow [on October 4], to receive the out-on-bail Delhi Chief Minister after his tour of Haryana, to receive him, as I am an MP, after all. The construction of this 675-metre-long bridge took 15 years and generated a cost of ₹1500 crore which is a matter of shame..it is a very important bridge for the general public [sic],” Mr. Tiwari tweeted.
Mr. Sisodia, on his part, chose to welcome Mr. Tiwari to the ceremony.
Sisodia invites all
“All the citizens of Delhi are invited to the inauguration of the Signature Bridge. You too are invited. This bridge can be an embarrassment for the BJP, but is a matter of pride for Delhi. Hope you will come tomorrow [on October 4] and maintain the dignity that is required to be maintained to mark such a historical moment [sic],” Mr. Sisodia tweeted.
Announced in 2004, the project received a nod from the Delhi Cabinet in 2007 and was expected to be completed at a modified estimate of ₹1,131 crore in time for the Commonwealth Games, held here in October 2010.
The cost of the project rose to ₹1,594 crore in 2015. It was proposed for the first time in 1997 at an initial cost of ₹464 crore.
