4-member team to prepare design of new Talla Bridge

Kolkata: A four-member task force comprising two officials each from the state government and Eastern Railways was constituted on Thursday, for laying out the design of the new Talla Bridge which is to be constructed soon.

The task force was formed following a high-level meeting at Fairlie Place, which was attended by senior officials of both sides including Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha and General Manager of Eastern Railways Suneet Sharma.

The work for demolition of the existing bridge will start soon and the bridge will be closed down for traffic completely from Friday midnight.

"The four-member joint task force will work as a team and will look into all aspects involving the demolition of the old bridge, the design of the new bridge and its viability. The team will consult with different expert groups and finalise the design," said a senior official of the state government.

"The main objective of the meeting is to ensure that there is the best of coordination from both ends, so that the entire work can be executed in a time-bound manner," said Nikhil Chakraborty, chief public relations officer, ER.

It has been learnt that the state government has decided to pay around Rs 14 crore to ER for the construction of a level-crossing adjacent to Chitpur Rail Yard. "The design of the proposed level-crossing has already been sent to the Railway Board for its approval. Work will start immediately after we get the clearance," a senior ER official said.

The state government had proposed the level-crossing to pave way for heavy vehicles, with the dismantling of Talla Bridge starting within a few days.

It has been learnt that the state government has agreed on a new design of the bridge in coordination with ER. The state has proposed to construct four pillars between three railways tracks flowing under the bridge.

"The state has proposed to construct two pillars between Circular Railway Track and Stabling Line and another two pillars between Stabling line and the line for the goods train. This is impossible because we need to dig a hole at least 50 feet deep for a pillar and we will have to move the railway tracks and suspend the railway movement. This is technically not possible and so we had to look for other alternatives," a senior railway official said.

The railway officials have alternatively proposed a cable-stayed bridge (like Vidyasagar Setu), for which they need to have two pillars instead of four.

The issue of Majerhat Bridge was also discussed in the meeting. "There needs to be some information regarding the design of the proposed new bridge, which the state government will provide within a few days. Following this, there will be an inspection from the Commission of Railway Safety. The CRS nod is essential for beginning construction of the new Majerhat Bridge," an official said.