Tripura : Cracks & Flaking Plaster Spotted In Maitri Setu; Concern Raised Over Water Accumulation Issue

29th August 2022

Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura

Sabroom, August 28, 2022 : The officials of the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) on Sunday visited the Bharat-Bangla Maitri Setu (Friendship Bridge of India and Bangladesh) over Feni river at Ananda Para under Sabroom sub-division for inspection.

A delegation of NHIDCL officials led by its Executive Director Pradeep Kumar visited the Maitri Setu and expressed displeasure over the poor quality of works. He directed the Corporation’s DGM Sunil Kumar to mitigate the problems immediately.

Sources informed that the ED of NHIDCL directed the DGM Sunil Kumar to fix the loopholes found during inspection of this friendship bridge. The loopholes spotted include- rusting of the steel safety barrier, cracks observed at about 8 places in the concrete barrier on both sides of the bridge, the iron rods on the barrier were rusted. As the water drainage ditches in the bridge are above the water level, the water is not being drained, so the water has accumulated in different parts of the bridge, the silt is worn and the grass has grown, and flaking plasters were also noticed in different parts of the pillars on both sides of the bridge.

He expressed his displeasure seeing these problems of the bridge in such a short period of time that the construction work of the bridge has been completed.

ED predicted that due to accumulation of water, not being able to arrange this water drainage in any direction, the contractor company working on the bridge at that time caused a leak in the bridge, which may have a great impact on the stability of the bridge in the future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge (Maitri Setu) over Feni River on March 09, 2021, but till now, traffic has not yet started on the bridge. This 150-metre long bridge is also known as the gateway of Northeast. PM Modi and his counterpart Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in June 2015. Notably, the bridge was constructed by an Ahmedabad-based company ‘DRA Infracon’.