The Public Works Department (PWD) has been asked to draft a preliminary plan on how many more bridges Delhi needs and study its feasibility.
The AAP-government will seek financial help from the Centre to make these bridges over the river.
According to senior official, the decision was made during a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting held this week in which the State Disaster Management Plan (SDMP) and District Disaster Management Plan to deal with any calamity in the national capital were approved.
During the <g data-gr-id="37">meeting</g> Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought more bridges over the Yamuna to ensure faster mobility. According to a senior official, Delhi will need financial help from the Central government to achieve this.
"The Delhi government has an assessment that we need more bridges over the Yamuna. Delhi has a lot of population living on both sides separated by the Yamuna and bridges will increase their mobility. In case of a calamity, it will be of great use if a particular area of the city is affected,” said KK Sharma, Chief Secretary.
He added: "We need more resources for this and are looking at the Central government. Some of the support that the Delhi government will need for enhancing safety will be done with the support of Central government."
As per officials, the PWD has started making plans for constructing two-three bridges over the river.
According to officials, there are just eight bridges over the Yamuna at present against the city's requirement of more than 20 bridges.
The existing bridges include Signature Bridge, Old Bridge, DND flyway and those at <g data-gr-id="42">Wazriabad</g>, Geeta Colony, ITO, Nizamuddin and Kalindi Kunj. Two more bridges – one parallel to the Okhla Barrage and Barapullah elevated road are under construction. Officials said only one of these bridges at Wazirabad connects North-east Delhi with the rest of the city.
The construction of the ambitious Signature Bridge, which would be an <g data-gr-id="40">alternate</g> to the ageing and narrow Wazirabad Bridge, is in full swing and is likely to be completed by March 2016.
In comparison with international cities, Delhi lags behind in terms of the number of bridges built over rivers. Many European countries have over 30 <g data-gr-id="39">bridges,</g> while developed South Asian countries have constructed over a dozen bridges to connect different part of the cities.