Panaji, Dec 31(TNN): The Congress on Sunday objected the move by the state government to open the cable-stayed Mandovi bridge for traffic in January.

The Congress has said that the party would prevent the BJP government from inaugurating the bridge.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the bridge. The Congress alleged that all the safety measures were not in place for the bridge and that the state government was in a haste to inaugurate the bridge in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“We will prevent inauguration of the third Mandovi bridge because the bridge is incomplete,” said state Congress president Girish Chodankar.

“I cannot understand this government’s haste in inaugurating the bridge and playing with people’s lives.” The Congress did not disclose how they would prevent the inauguration of the bridge but said that the party had already chalked out a strategy.

To underscore its concerns about the bridge, the Congress said that the consultant who has designed the Mandovi bridge was also involved in the design of a bridge that collapsed in Surat.
“The CAG has also said that a flyover in Patna was not designed properly and the consultant was again SN Bhobe. So his designs are under doubt,” Chodankar said as he demanded that the bridge needs to undergo stringent quality checks before being thrown open for vehicular traffic.