Finally, work begins on long-pending Kundapur-Kodi bridge
Silvester D’ Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)
Kundapur, Jan 16: The construction of Kundapur-Kodi bridge, a demand that had been pending since several decades, has finally been taken up by the government.
The work on the bridge started a few days back rekindling hope among the locals in Kodi. If the work progresses as expected, it is likely to be ready by the end of this year.
The public works department had called for tender of Rs 4 crore and it has been awarded to Philip D’ Costa. Pillars for 120 meter long and seven and a half meter wide bridge are being constructed.
The bridge will have seven pillars and be wide enough to meet future needs. The place is being dug with machines for pillars and filled with concrete. Department officials and people''s representative have been visiting the site to supervise the work. The work will progress to the next stage only after the department officials certify it.
Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty and MP Jayaprakash Hegde have been able to put pressure on the government for the bridge. Though the work had started once about five years ago, it was stopped due to some issues between Karnataka Road Development Corporation and Gammon India, the contractors. Though the government tried to get the work done through the public works department at that stage, it was not successful.
Though Kodi is just a kilometer away from Kundapur, it could only be reached by a round trip of about ten kilometers due to the river in between. The distance had adversely affected education, economic and social development in the area.
Kodi, a part of Kundapur town municipal council consists of three wards with beautiful sea shore. Though Kodi is famous for its temple and educational institutes, it lags behind due to lack of transport facilities.
Kodi can be a potential tourist attraction after the construction of the bridge. So far, people depended on boats for reach here. Though towns developed and people’s standard of living improved, Kodi remained disintegrated from Kundapur.