Foot overbridge project under Smart City mission gets going

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 1

The work of constructing a foot overbridge near Sri Guru Harikrishan Public School on GT Road was initiated under the Smart City Mission here on Wednesday.

The project was inaugurated by Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla in the presence of MLA Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu and MC Commissioner Komal Mittal. The officials claimed that the foot overbridge would be constructed with modern design and technology and it would be the first bridge in Punjab that would be equipped with elevators and automatic steps. Elderly and differently-abled people could use it without any difficulty.

Speaking on the occasion, MP Aujla extended New Year greetings to the residents and said the overbridge would provide a relief to students as they would be able to cross the road without any risk. Dr Raj Kumar Verka said what better the city residents could expect that the New Year was beginning with development. He said with the automatic lift and escalators people would prefer to use this bridge.

Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said the municipal corporation was committed to providing the overall development of the city. The work of building Heritage Street at Durgiana Temple would be completed soon. Moreover, several construction works would be started soon under the Smart City Mission. He said next week the work of beautifying the elevated road would be started.

On the occasion, Komal Mittal, the MC Commissioner and CEO of Amritsar Smart City Limited, said owing to the BRTC project, it was very difficult for pedestrians to cross the road. Therefore, under the Smart City Mission, two spots were identified on GT Road where the highest pedestrian movement was recorded and people were crossing the BRTC lane railing by risking their lives.

She said the practice not only increased the risk of accidents, but also proved a hurdle in the smooth movement of buses plying on the BRTC lane. Keeping this in mind, two foot overbridges were being constructed at a cost of Rs 5.29 crore at Sri Guru Harikrishan Public School and Putlighar Chowk. A six-month deadline had been set for the completion of the work.

She said after the construction of the foot overbridge, people would be able to cross the road easily. Students of the CKD Institute of Management and Sri Harikrishan Public School would be greatly benefited.