First motor bridge to Nepal in Pithoragarh nearing completion
First motor bridge to Nepal in Pithoragarh nearing completion
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, July 3
Pithoragarh district administration has started preparations to manage the first motor bridge in the hilly areas between India and Nepal near completion at Charchum village of Dharchula sub-division of the district.
“The bridge will be available for operation by October this year, as only 10 percent work is left to be completed,” said Sanjeev Rathi, executive engineer of PWD, the construction agency of the bridge.
Pithoragarh District Magistrate Reena Joshi has called a meeting of concerned officials today to set line of managing the operation of commercial activities from the bridge on the Indian side. Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj had visited the site of the bridge on June 22 to supervise the progress of the bridge.
“Mutual commercial activities between India and Nepal in this part of border, will increase also after the bridge comes into operation soon. The motor bridge is first between two countries in the hill part of the uttarakhand state, “said Reena Joshi, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.
The meeting was attended by officials of Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB), para-military force manning the Indo-Nepal border, Uttarakhand police besides forest, custom and Intelligence Bureau (IB).” The officials from SSB , Custom forest and PWD officials put their demands for land near bridge to construct accomodation, check posts or store facilities for their staff, which we have ordered to Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Dharchula to comply and make available the requirements of these departments before the bridge is commissioned, “said the DM.
The foundation stone of the first motor bridge India and Nepal in the hilly region of border along Uttarakhand state was laid down by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on September 19, 2022.
“The 110 meters long and 10.50 meters wide motor bridge, has a construction cost of Rs 32.98 crore and more than 70 percent construction work of the bridge has been completed,” said A.B. Kandpal, Superintendent Engineer of PWD, the nodal agency of construction of the bridge.
Pithoragarh district has eight suspension bridges on river Kali connecting India with Nepal managing the footfall of citizens to either country, but this would be first motor bridge between two countries in hilly portion of the border.
