Gandhinagar: Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel who is also Roads and Buildings minister of the State today termed Congress agitation over Narmada Maiya bridge in Bharuch district as childish.

Congress workers in Bharuch are agitating for opening of fully constructed Narmada Maiya river bridge over Narmada. The district Congress has given ultimatum to the State government to open this completed bridge for traffic within a week or face the situation in which Congress workers will themselves throw it open for traffic.

Reacting to this, Nitin Patel in his address in a virtual function today said that some welding works in the bridge were yet to be completed.

Nitin Patel said, the government had diverted fully the oxygen used in industrial sector to medical sector due to Covid-19 pandemic’s second wave, and therefore the contractor who was constructing Narmada Maiya bridge could not complete some welding works on time. Patel said, the contractor has been allocated required oxygen now and the bridge will soon be opened for traffic.

Patel said the task of building a river bridge over Narmada was challenging as it is the widest river which is full of water through ought the year.

Patel also echoed earlier speaker and Bahruch MLA Arunsinh Rana’s remark and termed Congress agitation over Narmada Maiya bridge as ‘Bhavai’.

Patel said the government in reaction to local demand also approved and completed Rs 20 crore flyover extension after Narmada Maiya river bridge to cover a college gate.

Narmada Maiya river bridge as per the original target was to complete in year 2019.

It’s worth noting that flyover bridges at Vaishnovdevi circle on Sarkhej – Gandhinagar highway is also ready and completed but it has not been opened for traffic as the government is waiting for local Lok Sabha member Amit Shah to come and inaugurate it. Shah is likely to visit the city and inaugurate it next week, it is learnt. On many occasions, it has been noticed that Congress workers forcibly open the newly constructed bridges before formal inauguration by some BJP leader. DeshGujarat