Contractor of collapsed Bihar bridge building two in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: The contractor who built the Bhagalpur bridge across the Ganges in Bihar which collapsed on June 4, SP Singla, is involved in two major bridge construction projects in Gujarat.
The first is Gujarat's longest cable-stayed bridge, over a 2,320m stretch of the sea, between Okha and Bet Dwarka. The second is a 1,100-metre two-lane river bridge over the Narmada in Vadodara district.
In the wake of the Bhagalpur bridge collapse, the Gujarat government has ordered additional tests to be conducted on the structural design and material of the two bridges in Gujarat. The tests are being conducted to ensure the bridges are safe.
Sources in the roads and buildings department revealed that the cost of the bridge at Dwarka rose from Rs 764 crore to Rs 900 crore. The project is two years behind schedule. "The bridge was originally to be completed in 2020, but is now not expected to open in September 2023," said an R&B department official. Sources in the road and building department of the state government said, "The Bet Dwarka bridge is being built in EPC mode (engineering, procurement and construction). In EPC mode, the design and construction of the bridge is the responsibility of the contractor," the official said.
The Narmada bridge is to cost Rs 165 crore, and will open soon as it is nearly complete.