Pti

Agartala: Visually-impaired children in Tripura have inaugurated the first flyover in the state, officials said.

The Rs 300 crore-worth project was completed after four years since its commencement, they said.

The 2.3 km-long two-lane flyover in Agartala connects Fire Brigade at Chowmuhani with Arundhatinagar Drop Gate via Battala area.

However, no legislators or ministers were present during the inauguration on Friday, they said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb tweeted, "...on the occasion of Maha Sasthi, the Agartala Flyover has been inaugurated by Specially Abled Blind Students of our State..."

Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department, Ratan Chowdhury said the structure can take a load of over 70 tonnes.

"There is no controversy over the quality of the construction. This structure is feasible for all kinds of vehicles. Due to some minor construction works of the flyover, it took some time for the inauguration," he said.

The project had recently run into rough weather after the BJP-IPFT government, which came to power in March last year, levelled charges of irregularities in construction work that began during the Left Front period.

The state police had submitted a charge sheet in a special court against five engineers including former engineer-in-chief (PWD) Sunil Bhowmik and former chief engineer (roads and buildings) Somesh Chandra Das.

Complaints were lodged against two construction firms -- VKS Infra Tech Management Pvt Ltd and Hyderabad- based Nagarjuna Construction Company -- under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

However, former PWD minister Badal Choudhury had on several occasions said the construction was done according to the guidelines and was certified as "ready to be opened" by several expert agencies including the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Jadavpur University and IIT-Delhi.

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