Fifty-five years after the first survey was conducted, a bridge over Torsa river which cuts down distance between Coochbehar town and Siliguri in north Bengal by 45 km, has finally been opened to the public.The bridge, located 12 km from the Coochbehar town and along national highway 31, was bedevilled by problems one after the other, setting a bad record for public construction projects in the state.After the first survey in 1953, a fresh one was taken up in 1981 and 12 years later 10 pillars were constructed. Thereafter, work again suffered as the main contractor for the project quit citing lack of funds in 2001.Works resumed in 2006 and the bridge took shape in January this year. However, the inauguration was put off till Panchayat elections were over in May.Finally, the bridge, the third one across the river, was thrown open to the public by state PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami on Wednesday, who admitted that the delay had not set a good precedent.Rs 67.16 crore was spent to construct the 854-metre bridge and a 23-km approach road.
