As of now, vehicles weighing over three tonnes are banned on the bridge. (File)
The 57-year-old Tallah bridge in north Kolkata, whose condition has been declared very critical by experts, is likely to be demolished next week, said sources.
According to sources, the state government has already floated a tender for the new tallah bridge, but is waiting for the Railways to complete a level crossing underneath it.
The Railways, however, is yet to begin the work, but sources said they will do so in a day or two.
According to sources, the responsibility of the maintenance of the new bridge will be given to the company, which gets the tender, for 10 years. The new bridge, which will be four-lane, will be built for around Rs 268 crore and it will take more than an year to complete the project.
Earlier year, a task force, comprising of two officials from Railways – the chief bridge engineer and senior divisional engineer of Sealdah and two officials of the state government – was formed for the project.
Last October, a private agency from Mumbai and experts from consultancy RITES had thoroughly examined the bridge and submitted a report to the state secretariat, opining that the condition of the bridge was very critical. They suggested to dismantle the bridge, which connects the northern fringes to the city, and build a new one instead. As of now, vehicles weighing over three tonnes are banned on the bridge.
Earlier it was decided to begin the demolition work of the bridge from January 18.
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