GDA fails to pay Rs 6cr, work on old Hindon bridge stalled

Ghaziabad: A paucity of funds has led the UP Bridge Corporation to stop almost all work on the upcoming old Hindon bridge. The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) had to pay the corporation around Rs 6 crore, which it was unable to do due to financial crunch.
It is likely to have some implications on the timely completion of the bridge, which is already behind deadline by nearly six months.
An official from the bridge corporation said that it is becoming increasingly difficult to carry out work due to lack of funds. “The little work we are undertaking is also going on at a snail’s pace and we may not be able to sustain any further,” said the official.
The estimated cost of building the bridge is Rs 21 crore and GDA has paid only about Rs 2 crore so far. “A sum of more than Rs 6 crore is due on GDA and we require it on an urgent basis to resume work in a full-fledged manner,” said the official. “Dues are also pending with the GDA of previous work, which we did on Vasundhara and Raj Nahar Extension bridges,” added the official.
GDA vice-chairperson Kanchan Varma, meanwhile, said that due to lockdown and other reasons, the GDA is passing through an acute financial crunch and is unable to pay to the bridge corporation. “For the past three months, GDA is in throes of acute financial crisis. The one-time-settlement scheme on which we were banking heavily failed to take off due to the pandemic and our other sources of income has also been impacted,” said Verma.
“In regards to paying the bridge corporation its dues, we will be in a position to do so only after three months and there is nothing we could do at the moment” added Verma.
It has been four years since the bridge was closed down, as a result of which, the traffic coming from Meerut tri-section side has been left with just one 3-lane bridge. But over the years, traffic influx on the section has grown manifold, making it city’s one of the busiest spots.