BJP questions safety of Delhi bridge after CAG report

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday questioned the safety of the Signature Bridge in East Delhi, after the Comptroller and Auditor General objected to the use of pre-fabricated steel frames imported from China for its construction.

"It is a serious issue that there is no mechanism with the Delhi government to check the quality of material and fabrication work being done in China. This raises concern about the safety of the bridge," Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel said.

In a draft report, the CAG has rapped the Delhi government for the use of pre-fabricated steel frames imported from China for construction of the bridge across the Yamuna in East Delhi, which is modelled on the famed London Bridge and is likely to be completed by the end of 2014.

The CAG observed that procurement of steel frames from China was in violation of contractual norms and said the Delhi government's agency implementing the project does not have any mechanism to check quality of material and fabrication work being done in China.

The CAG has also slammed the Delhi government for escalation of the cost of the project by Rs 672 crore against the initial estimate.

Goel sought to know the reason for revising the estimate of the bridge six times between May 2005 and October 2009.

The government in March 2006 had estimated a total cost of Rs 459 crore for the construction of the bridge, which went up to Rs 1,131 crore when the project was finalised in February 2010.

The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation are executing the Rs 1,131-crore project, which is expected to be completed by the middle of 2014.

Designed as a replica of the famous London Bridge, the 575-metre long and 175-metre-high bridge will have bow-shaped pylon with cables.

To be suspended on cables, the bridge will have two approaches -- the Eastern Approach and the Western Approach.

It will link NH-1 on the western bank of Yamuna with Wazirabad on the eastern bank of the river.