Sunday’s Morbi bridge tragedy in Gujarat, which claimed at least 134 lives, made a number of social organisations in north Bengal to reassert their demand for immediate construction of a new bridge at Sevoke, located around 22km from here, while pointing to the vulnerability of the 71-year-old Coronation Bridge.

“The Coronation Bridge over the Teesta river is an iconic structure of this region and is the principal link between Siliguri and Dooars. The structure has become old and has weakened. Even so, hundreds of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, move on the bridge every day. It is high time that the central government starts construction of a parallel bridge to avert a potential Gujarat-like mishap,” said Animesh Bose, the programme coordinator of Siliguri-based Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation.

The bridge, an arch-shaped giant structure over the Teesta, is a popular hangout spot for tourists and residents. Its construction work started in 1937 and was named so to mark the coronation of King George V. The construction ended in 1941.

In 2011, cracks were spotted in the bridge, which forced the state PWD to carry out repairs.

Since then, a number of organizations, based in Siliguri and the Dooars, have demanded that a parallel bridge be constructed to conserve the old bridge and ease its traffic load.

“The central government had taken up the project and off and on we hear some land has been taken over from the railways, funds have been approved, among othersl. However, we have make enquiries and found that even the detailed project report of the proposed new bridge is not yet ready,” said Chandan Roy, the founder secretary of Dooars Forum for Social Reforms.

Sources in the state PWD said that since August 2020, a bar was imposed by the department that vehicles weighing over 10 tonnes will not be allowed to ply over the Coronaton Bridge.

An engineer of the department said that they have recently issued a tender to carry out certain maintenance works of Coronation Bridge.

“The restriction in movement of vehicles weighing above 10 tonnes is still in place. There is no doubt that the old bridge needs extensive repairs. For its conservation, it is pertinent to allow only light vehicles to ply on it. However, unless the second bridge is built downstream, there is no alternative for traffic,” he said.

Jayanta Roy, the BJP MP of Jalpaiguri, said the proposed bridge project is under consideration of the Union ministry of road transport and highway.

“I have approached various central ministries to expedite the construction of the new bridge over Teesta in Sevoke. As far as I know, the project is certainly in the pipeline and we expect it will be taken up in the next fiscal (2023-24),” said the MP.