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The stretch of Marine Drive near Shyam Nagar in Kadma on Tuesday. Picture by Animesh Sengupta
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If all goes well, the much-awaited Marine Drive will finally be ready by this March.
Executing authority Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company (Jusco), which had recently approached sub-divisional officer of Dhalbhum Subodh Kumar for security cover to resume work on the incomplete portions of the 9.8km stretch along Subernarekha and Kharkai rivers, said the authorities had promised to provide production.
In reply to Kumar’s letter that sought details about the long-pending project, including the number of security personnel required, Jusco said they were aiming to wrap up work by March if police protection was guaranteed.
“We responded to the SDO’s query today (Tuesday). We intimated him that if adequate number of security personnel is provided at the project sites, we will ensure completion of the project by March this year,” spokesperson of Jusco Rajesh Rajan told The Telegraph.
The project, conceived way back in 1997, envisages developing of the 9.8km stretch that will ultimately meet the newly constructed Adityapur toll bridge in Kadma. However, the road could be completed only in parts, thanks to frequent protests from illegal settlers and local residents.
Earlier on two occasions, local residents, who were forced to vacate their illegally built houses to make way for the road, stopped work. The first such agitation was staged by residents of two slums — Ramnagar and Shyamnagar — on October 15, 2011, and then again on November 27. On both occasions, the administration had provided security personnel at the sites, but the number was not enough.
However, the SDO promised to deploy enough policemen this time. “But Jusco did not specify the number of policemen they require to meet the demand. We have asked them to provide details. Once the company furnishes the details, we will make security arrangements,” Kumar said.
In fact, the Adityapur Toll Bridge Company Limited, which has constructed the Adityapur toll bridge on the PPP basis at a cost of Rs 74 crore, recently sent an SOS to Jusco, saying that they were incurring losses as the Marine Drive was yet to become functional.
The company, which expected to earn around Rs 2 lakh everyday, has been able to collect only Rs 50,000 as toll fee from vehicles. This is because multi-axel trucks, the main source of revenue, do not take the toll bridge as the Marine Drive is incomplete.
The widening work of Marine Drive has been completed from Kadma end to Sati Ghat and partially completed from Sonari end till Shyam Nagar.
A one-and-half kilometre stretch between Sati Ghat and Shyam Nagar continues to be a problem area as encroachers who have been evicted are staying put in makeshift camps and are thwarting every attempt to resume work.
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