Yadav family feud brings cheer to BJP supporters
Sources have stated that UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is proud of Samajwadi Party government's infrastructure achievements and often showcases the 302km Agra-Lucknow Expressway completed in record time. But, for residents of Varanasi's Samne Ghat, it is not the highway that comes to mind. It is an unfinished bridge that stands as the testimony to the infrastructure record of not one, but two SP governments.
It was stated that the pillar mounted bridge, about a couple of kilometers long, connecting Samne Ghat to Ramnagar town across the Ganga was conceived nearly 15 years ago and has been a work in progress for ten years now. While some two dozen pillars are in place and most are connected by girders, the middle three pillars are still unconnected.
As the construction work has dragged on, the locals have been forced to use a pontoon bridge, usually used in emergency situations, for their daily commute. The pontoon bridge is not good enough for cars or other heavy vehicles reducing traffic to only two wheelers and three wheelers. Even the dirt track leading up to this pontoon bridge is hardly maintained and can turn slippery and dangerous in case of rain.
In any case, the pontoon bridge becomes unusable in monsoon, and Super Specialty Trauma Centre was opened by the BHU institute of medical sciences on the road to Ramnagar. As the bridge gets delayed, ambulances and emergency vehicles have to take the bypass, which increases the distance by 10-15 kms.
