The Bengal government has given its consent to the construction of a second bridge over the Teesta at Sevoke in Darjeeling district four years after the Centre sanctioned funds for an alternative to the iconic Coronation Bridge that had been built eight decades ago.

“The Centre had sanctioned ₹1,000 crore to construct the new bridge over the Teesta in 2021. However, the project progressed little as the required consent from the state government was pending. The Bengal government recently approved the project and the state PWD will soon prepare the DPR (detailed project report) and submit it to the ministry of road transport and highways (Morth)," said a senior government official.

Any national highway project, which would be executed by the state PWD, requires the consent of the state concerned.

The bridge at Sevoke, 25km from Siliguri, was commissioned in 1941 to commemorate the coronation of George VI. The bridge is along NH31C, one of the two principal roads that link the Dooars and the Northeast to the rest of India.

“The state did not give its consent to the new bridge in the past four years. I think there was no particular reason behind the delay, but the lackadaisical approach of the state government did not allow the PWD to take up the project,” said an official.

The Coronation Bridge is narrow with a width of 6.7 meters. Over the years, the structure took a lot of wear and tear and load restrictions were imposed on vehicles. Since traffic increased significantly, an alternative to the existing bridge was required.

The bridge is strategically important because of the region’s proximity to the China border in Sikkim.

Sources said top brass of the state government had recently held a series of meetings with officials of the forest and environment departments to secure environmental clearance for the project.

“Once these clearances were secured, the government gave its sanction. Now, it can be said that the ball for the project has started rolling. The state government's DPR will have to be approved by the finance wing of the Morth. But these are mere formalities as the bridge has already been sanctioned by the Centre,” said a source.

The estimated cost for the new bridge stands at ₹1,125 now.

According to the proposal, the new bridge will run parallel to the existing railway bridge in Sevoke. The new bridge will have four lanes with a combined width of at least 14 meters.

“The project could be completed in 24 months once the work begins," said an official.

A section of officials at Nabanna said the alternative bridge would boost the economy of the region. “The economy of the Dooars is heavily dependent on tourism.… The new bridge could help people reach the Dooars easily and also Sikkim in case NH10 remains closed for some reasons,” said a source.

Land for BSF

The Bengal cabinet on Monday approved a proposal to buy 0.9 acres of land for setting up a BSF outpost at Karimpur in Nadia district. The initiative came against the backdrop of the BJP’s allegation that the state’s reluctance to hand over land to set up BSF outposts in Bengal was encouraging infiltration from Bangladesh.

A Bengal minister said the state government would always help the BSF secure the borders. A BJP leader alleged that the BSF wanted land to set up 74 outposts in Bengal, but the state did not do anything for the remaining outposts.