How Ready Is Modi's Setu Bharatam Project To Bridge The Gap
It is only obvious that a country as large as India needs a mammoth railway network to connect its one part with another. India's rail network is, in fact, the fourth-largest in the world, is used by 20 million people every day, and works as a lifeline for the countrymen. However, these tracks are also responsible for killing 15,000 people every year, said a high-level panel in 2012.
Among his many infrastructure-based priorities, changing the face of railways was one after Prime Minister Narendra took charge in 2014. Two years later, he launched a project to build bridges at level crossings to prevent the loss of lives at level crossings.
Here are some facts about the ambitious project, named Setu Bharatam:
Standing lines
According to government estimates, there are about 150,000 bridges on Indian national highways.
The road transport ministry has set up Indian Bridge Management System at the Indian Academy for Highway Engineers at Noida to carry out a survey in this regard. Eleven consultancy companies have also been roped in for the purpose. The database created by IBMS will be the largest of its kind and will also help in smoothening the movement of consignments on national highways.
The plan
The road and transport ministry led by Nitin Gadkari plans to build 208 railway over-bridges and under-bridges at level crossings at an estimated cost of Rs 20,800 crore. This is being done to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings. If all works according to the plan, all national highways will be free of railway level crossings by 2019. The government also plans to overhaul about 1,500 British-era bridges at an estimated cost of Rs 30,000 crore. This would take the total cost of the project to Rs 50,800 crore. The government launched the project at the end of the financial year 2015-16.
The spread
Of the total 208 bridges to be constructed across 19 states, 33 will be built in Andhra Pradesh, 22 in West Bengal, 20 in Bihar, 17 in Karnataka and 12 each in Assam and Maharashtra. While nine bridges each will be buil in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, five bridges will be built in Chattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh. While 11 bridges will be built in Jharkhand, Haryana and Punjab will see the construction of 10 bridges each. The government plans to build eight bridges in Gujarat, six in Madhya Pradesh and two in Uttarakhand. In Odisha and Kerala, a total of eight bridges will be constructed, with each getting four.
Current status
The speed at which things are moving, it is highly unlikely that the government will be able to finish the project within time, say media reports.
The Public Investment Board had accepted a project to rehabilitate the Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Bihar capital Patna at an estimated cost of about Rs 1,756 crore. Under the plan, the existing 5.57-kilometre four-lane super-structure will be replaced with a steel truss. It must be noted that the bridge is infamous for regular traffic jams.
The government has also invited tenders for construction of two creek bridges over the Middle Strait Creek and the Humphery Strait Creek of the national highway-223 in Andaman Nicobar Islands. These bridges connect south Andaman Island with Baratang and are of strategic importance. The two bridges will be built an estimated cost fo Rs 540 crore.
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