Uttarakhand's Infrastructure Boost: Centre To Build Six Rail Over Bridges With Rs 193 Crore Under Setu Bandhan Scheme

In a significant development for Uttarakhand, the Union government has allocated Rs 193 crore for the construction of six rail over bridges in the state.

Kamal Prakash, an under-secretary to the Union government, conveyed in a letter to Chief Secretary S S Sandhu that, under the Setu Bandhan Scheme of the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund, approval has been granted for four bridges on state highways and two on urban roads.

Notably, the Union government had recently given in-principle approval for relocating the Uttarakhand High Court from Nainital to Haldwani.

In yet another swift announcement, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lauded the Union government, stating, "this project is another testament to the Centre's commitment to the state. While ongoing projects such as the Delhi-Dehradun highway, Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line, and All Weather Road for Char Dham are progressing rapidly, the approval for six new rail overbridges will address our state's traffic-related challenges."

The second approved bridge, with an estimated cost of Rs 55.3 crore, is designated for crossing number 99B on the Gadarpur-Dineshpur-Malkota-Haldwani route, located on State Highway (SH) 5.

Another rail over bridge has been sanctioned for crossing number 104A on the same route (Gadarpur-Dineshpur-Malkota-Haldwani) on SH 5. The fourth approved bridge is set for crossing number 51C on Indira Nagar-Shani Bazar-Mandi Gate in the Nainital district, with a length of 60 metres and a budget of Rs 34.6 crore.

The fifth rail over bridge, spanning 70 meters and costing Rs 21 crore, is designated for Jwalapur Saray-Aakdd-Bahaddarpur-Ambuwala-Dhanpur on SH 26. The sixth bridge, also 70 metres long and budgeted at Rs 22 crore, will be constructed on the Roorkee-Laksar-Balawali route of the same state highway.