Rashmi Ranjan

With Rath Yatra around the corner, the Shree Setu- the first trumpet bridge in the State, which is being constructed to minimise traffic congestion and ensure smooth vehicular movement to the pilgrim town of Puri, may not be ready before the annual chariot festival of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.

Once completed, the bridge will allow vehicles coming from Bhubaneswar and Brahmagiri to reach the Jagannath Vallabh parking spot directly by avoiding city traffic. 

According to sources, while the land acquisition for the construction of the bridge has been done, the construction of pillars for the trumpet bridge is yet to be completed raising doubts that it may not meet the Rath Yatra deadline.

Meanwhile, the Puri district administration has also admitted that the entire construction of the bridge may not get completed by Rath Yatra, but all efforts will be put in to make one side of the bridge operational before the annual sojourn of the Holy Trinity.

“I don’t feel all work of the Shree Setu will get completed by June 4,” said Durga Das Mohapatra, a member of the Shree Mandir Managing Committee.

On the other hand, Puri sub-collector Bhabataran Sahu said, “I hope one side of the bridge will be ready for Rath Yatra this year.”

“There is a possibility that the construction of one side of the bridge may get completed by Rath Yatra while the other side of the bridge may not be ready,” said a worker of the Forum Bridge Construction company.

Notably,  the Shree Setu which is approximately 1.5 km long and 60 meters wide, will be constructed at an expense of Rs 161 crore.

  • Reported by:
  • MADHUSUDAN MISHRA
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