Jamshedpur: In a major step towards long-term urban development, the construction of a four-lane road and a four-lane bridge over the Subernarekha river, connecting Bhuiyandih Litti Chowk to Bhilai Pahari on NH-33, formally began on Wednesday in the presence of Jamshedpur East MLA Purnima Sahu.
The foundation for the ambitious project was laid at Lal Bhatta near Bara Ghat on the banks of the Subernarekha river, with religious rituals performed to mark the beginning of construction. A large number of BJP workers and local residents were present on the occasion.
Approved under the road construction department’s 2024–25 plan (11 SBD), the project involves an estimated cost of Rs 39.91 crore. It includes the construction of a 242-metre-long four-lane bridge along with a 3.453-kilometre approach road, taking the total project length to 3.695 km. The project is scheduled for completion within 18 months.
Departmental engineers clarified that no residential houses would be affected during execution. Echoing this assurance, MLA Purnima Sahu urged residents not to worry, stating that no damage would be caused to homes or property.
Expressing satisfaction at the launch, Sahu said the project reflects the far-sighted vision of former Chief Minister Raghubar Das. She noted that similar initiatives, such as the Dobo Bridge and the Govindpur–Dhanchatani Road linking the Adityapur industrial area to the National Highway, were aimed at streamlining heavy vehicle movement.
The proposal for a dedicated bridge for heavy vehicles from Litti Chowk to Bhilai Pahari was also conceived during the tenure of Das, she added. Sahu said the new four-lane bridge and road would significantly reduce the burden of heavy vehicles within the city, improve traffic management, and save valuable time for daily commuters.
She expressed confidence that the project would be completed within the stipulated timeframe and would bring lasting benefits to the people of Jamshedpur. Sahu had raised this issue during the last Assembly session and had been in dialogue with senior officials of the state Road Construction Department, personally monitoring progress at every stage.
Several public representatives, local leaders, party workers, engineers from the Road Construction Department, and contractor representatives were present at the inauguration ceremony.
PWD engineers’ alleged bias in bridge project unacceptable: Saryu Roy
Jamshedpur, Dec 17: Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy strongly condemned engineers of the Road Construction Department for what he termed a “biased and improper” role in a political programme linked to an ongoing infrastructure project in Jamshedpur East.
Roy said that while he was in Godda on an Assembly committee tour, he came to know through social media that construction work on the bridge over the Subernarekha river—connecting Litti Chowk with NH-33 at Bhilai Pahari—was ceremonially “restarted” in the presence of Jamshedpur East MLA.
He alleged that the manner in which the event was projected created a false impression that the project had remained stalled since its online foundation-laying by the Chief Minister in his presence.
In reality, Roy said, work on the bridge and approach road had already begun earlier but was temporarily halted due to a design flaw detected at the Mango-end pillar of the bridge.
The approach road work, he added, had never stopped.
“After the necessary design corrections, construction should have resumed from where it was halted. There was no justification for celebrating the restart of an already approved and ongoing project as if it were a new one,” Roy said.
He clarified that while it is natural for an MLA to highlight development works in her constituency, it is “entirely unacceptable” for PWD engineers and the contractor to participate in programmes that give such works a political colour. Their presence at the event, he argued, reflected a partisan attitude.
Roy further questioned why a similar ceremony was not organised at the other end of the bridge and sarcastically asked whether another function would be held to mark the start of the remaining approach road work as well.
He announced that he would formally raise objections before the government regarding the conduct of the department’s engineers and the contractor.
Roy also said that after the Assembly committee tour concludes on December 21, he would place detailed facts in the public domain regarding the approval of the project and its relevance to the proposed Mango flyover.
