State begins process of constructing Gangasagar Setu on Muriganga River

KOLKATA: The state government has set the ball rolling for construction of GangasagarSetu on Muriganga Riverto connect Kachuberia with Lot 8 at Sagar Islands.

“We have identified 12 acres of land on either side for making an approach road oneither side of the river. Engineers from concerned departmentsof the state government recently did an inspection and assessed the alignment of thebridge,” said Bankim Chandra Hazra, state Sunderban Affairs minister and MLA of Sagar. The approach road will be approximately 1.5 km, with 932 m on the Kakdwip Lot 8 side and 660 metre in the Kachuberia side.

It was in February Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state will construct the bridge with its funds after repeated requests from the Centre for funds yielded no fruit.

Every year, lakhs of pilgrims from different states come to Sagar Islands for taking holy dip during the Gangasagar Mela. They have tocross over from Kachuberia to Lot 8 on vessels which is time consuming. Maintaining the navigation channel is a big challenge. A record 1 crore 10 lakh people across the country took holy dip at Sagar Islands this year, surpassing all previous records.

The proposed 5 km bridge will entail an expenditure of Rs 1500 crores out of which Rs 200 crore has been allo ated in the state budget for 2024-25.

“The bridge connecting Lot-8 and Kachuberia at Sagar Island will not only provide better connectivity but also give a boost to the socioeconomic strata and tourismpotential of the area,” a senior Nabanna official said.