Aam Aadmi Party has said that the repeated shutdowns of the Atal Setu bridge has exposed the claims of development of the BJP Govt. Reacting to the most recent shutdown of one of the bridge entries for 100 days, State Convenor Rahul Mhambre said the state of disrepair of the so-called iconic bridge is a symbol of the disrepair of the BJP administration.
“BJP came into power 9 years ago on the plank of anti-corruption, but has created a whole new level of corruption itself. The bridges, roads etc which are being built on borrowed money are crumbling even before proper completion. This low-quality, high-cost infrastructure is a concrete monument to the party’s corruption. The BJP is only focused on feeding the greed of its MLAs and that of the Congress MLAs that were purchased. No one is paying any attention to actual governance or solving issues being faced by the people”, Mhambre charged.
Mhambre recalled that the Atal Setu bridge was inaugurated in a hurry for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when portions of the bridge were not fully completed.
“The BJP’s pet project has already cost more than double the original estimate of 385 crores, and the bridge is still incomplete. Even the completed portions are having constant defects, incurring further costs as well as endangering the lives of Goans. Even now, the sudden hurry to close the bridge arm is only to make temporary cosmetic repairs so any major mishaps are avoided before the 2022 election”, Mhambre claimed.
Mhambre trashed CM Sawant’s assurance to rope in IIT Chennai to study the defects as an eyewash.
“Crores of public money have already been spent on consultancy, studies, reports, tests, etc, most of which was done by BJP’s pet vendors who functioned as the conduits of corruption. Sawant can spend as much more money as he wants, but the fact remains that the bridge was built on foundation of corruption”.
Mhambre also pointed out the hazardous conditions and traffic chaos that the incomplete bridge and faulty design has created at the KTC circle in Panaji.