In the state of Manipur where anything but the mundane happens, nothing holds the collective attention and concern of the public for so long and so hard as the progress- or otherwise- of the much discussed and criticized construction and progress of the state-of-the-art Sanjenthong Bridge. With the construction process beginning on April 30, 2014, the original proposed span of 61metres long and of 15 metres wide project with a cost of Rs 26,84,28,000 was later revised to a span of 55.8 meters in length and 22.7 meters in breadth with a new revised cost of Rs 32 crores. The project was scheduled to complete before the Sangai Festival which is being held in the month of November (21-30) every year. In fact, the need to replace the old bridge was felt more prominently after the chocking traffic became a permanent feature during the festival days. Now that two editions of the festivals have flown past in quick succession even before any semblance of the new bridge can be ascertained, the pertinent question everyone is asking, with just about a month to go before another edition of the festival rolls in is: will this year’s festival prove to be another disappointment for the vast public who have had to take long detours and suffer endless traffic jams in order to take part in the festivities? To take things into perspective, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link – variously described as one of the most challenging infrastructure projects undertaken in recent times in India is a cable-stayed 5.6 km bridge over the Mahim Bay that links Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai which was completed in 10 years with almost half the period delayed by Public Interest Litigations. Compare the scenario with what is being turning out to be in Manipur. It might be argued that the transportation of ‘Hangars” from foreign countries took time and all that usual crap, but the fact is, those who envisaged such a project should have thought of the inevitable hurdles during the initial
period. The evident failure on this front proved either that the planning and concept was flawed, or that there has been a colossal deficiency in execution and management. Was there no easier method of
construction that could have ensured speedy completion? Or, what could be the significant advantage of the Hangars and other “foreign made” contraptions over more conventional methods? If 56 metres of space
cannot be connected in over one and half years right in the middle of the state capital, what can the public expect from the present government regarding the construction and repairing of hundreds of kilometers of roads which runs through some very rough terrain? The only one thing we can be certain of is the renewed assurance and public display of intent from the leaders. Again.
