Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
The decision on preparing a blue print for the new Shastri Bridge will be taken at the next meeting of the IMC, MPMRCL and the Railways, said officials in the know, on Saturday.
There are many reasons why the old Shastri Bridge, which was constructed some 70 years ago, needs to be demolished, said officials.
For starters, the present bridge has become weak and it won’t be able to take the weight of the metro rail whose pillars are going rest on top of the bridge. Also, the pressure of vehicular traffic on the bridge in increasing and it would prove inadequate within a decade, so the span of the bridge has to be increased. Also, the railways wants to increase the height of the bridge, which it feels is now inadequate.
MP Shankar Lalwani told media the railways plans to develop the Indore railway station in a big way and to connect the old railway station with the new platform on Nehru Park Road, the width and height of the Shastri Bridge would have to be increased.
Recently, a meeting was held between officials of the Metro and Indore Municipal Corporation and these points were discussed. Now, another meeting in which the Railway officials will also be there will take place where everything will be thrashed out, said MP Lalwani.
Shastri Bridge was constructed in 1953. Its length is 448 metres and the cost of developing the bridge at that time was Rs 1 crore.
