Signature Bridge Inaugurated by Arvind Kejriwal Amid Chaos: Key Facts to Know About 'Delhi's Eiffel Tower'
The eight-lane bridge, connecting Outer Ring Road With Wazirabad Road, will end up reducing Ghaziabad-bound commute duration by 30-minutes.
New Delhi, November 4: Amid chaos, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday inaugurated the 'Signature Bridge', which will connect parts of North and North-East Delhi. The launch-event was marred in controversy as a scuffle broke out between Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, his aides and AAP supporters along with few personnel of the Delhi Police.
Tiwari, who represents North-East Delhi in the Lok Sabha, accused Kejriwal government of "hijacking" the project. The lawmaker claimed that he was responsible for "restarting the project" and procuring aide from the Centre. Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari Heckled, Assaulted by 'AAP Supporters' at Signature Bridge Launch; Watch Video.
The ruling AAP, however, blamed him for the ruckus. Thousands of people have come here to celebrate without an invitation card, but the MP (Manoj Tiwari) considers himself VIP. He is doing hooliganism. BJP people thrashed AAP volunteers and local people. They are admitted to hospital," said senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey.
After the controversy was settled, the Delhi CM arrived at the site and inaugurated the project along with his deputy Manish Sisodia. The bridge will be opened up for vehicles from tomorrow.
Key Facts to Know About Signature Bridge:
- The eight-lane bridge, connecting Outer Ring Road With Wazirabad Road, will end up reducing Ghaziabad-bound commute duration by 30-minutes.
- Described as a "civil engineering spectacle" by Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, the bridge boasts of 127 strands of back-stay cables, spherical bearings of 17,300 tonne vertical capacity. It also India's first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge, reflecting the gesture of "namaste".
- Touted as "Eiffel Tower of Delhi", the bridge a 154-metre-high glass viewing box. The height is nearly double than that of Qutub Minar. Elevators will be installed to take people up to the glass box to enjoy a panoramic view of the city.
- The bridge was first announced in 2004 by then Congress government led by Sheila Dikshit. The cost was estimated at Rs 494 crore, with the deadline for completion being before 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Due to multiple postponements, the cost had to be revised on four occasions. The government had to finally incur an expense of Rs 1,518 crore.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 04, 2018 06:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).