3 yrs on, Singha Devi bridge at Nayagaon hanging fire
Gaurav Kanthwal
Mohali, December 9
Slow pace of construction of Singha Devi bridge over the Patiala ki Rao rivulet at Nayagaon has irked local residents. The work, which started about three years ago, has come to a halt for the past many months.
Local residents said construction had not even reached the halfway stage. Three chief ministers — Capt Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi (during then Congress regimes), and ruling AAP’s Bhagwant Mann — have assumed charge in the state since the work on the bridge started and much water has flown in the rivulet since then.
The foundation stone of the bridge was laid to connect Khudda Lahora with the Karoran link road leading to Singha Devi village. However, the connectivity remains a pipe dream for thousands of residents of the nearby villages.
Approved under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the bridge, with a budget of Rs 4.04 crore, was to be completed within six months after laying the stone in December 2020.
“Thousands of devotees from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the nearby villages visit the Singha Devi temple. Two popular fairs are held annually at the temple during which a large number of devotees cross the rivulet. Local MLA, the CM and the MP are just not bothered about completing the project,” said Rikhi Ram, a resident of Nayagaon.
During the rainy season, the temple gets cut off from the main land.
“On the day of laying of foundation stone, around 1,000 people had gathered as MP Manish Tewari, accompanied by Vijay Inder Singla, PWD Minister; and Jagmohan Singh Kang, former minister, visited the site. The event raised their hopes of an enhanced connectivity to the area, but nothing has come out of it,” said Balwinder Singh of Singha Devi village.
Rs 4.04-crore project
Approved under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the bridge, with a budget of Rs 4.04 crore, was to be completed within six months after laying of the stone in December 2020.
