HYDERABAD: The almost two-decade-old dream of the people living on either side of Krishna river separating Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is soon going to be a reality as the Centre has approved the construction of Somasila-Siddheshwaram cable-stay-cum-suspension bridge at a cost of Rs 1,082.56-crore. The bridge will not only improve the road connectivity between the two States, but will also significantly reduce the travel time.
The demand for the bridge came after a tragic incident on January 19, 2007, when a boat from four villages in Kurnool district to the Laxminarasimha Swamy temple jatara in Singotam on Telangana side of the river, capsized resulting in the death of 61 passengers.YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the then chief minister of the erstwhile AP, had sanctioned Rs 50 crore for construction of a bridge, but his untimely death, coupled with political uncertainty later, had left the project in cold storage.
Even though his successor N Kiran Kumar Reddy had sanctioned Rs 250 crore later, the project couldn’t take off. After the formation of Telangana, the State government sanctioned Rs 190 crore, but the the AP government did not show any interest in the project.
It was only since 2018, the barriage became an election issue in Kollapur Assembly constituency in Nagarkurnool district, as it is not only a road connectivity issue, but also has a cultural aspect to it, as the people on both sides of the river, though geographically separated, have family connections. What further fuelled the demand was the tourism potential due to the presence of Srisailam reservoir and Nallamala forest in Kollapur.
The Centre had sanctioned Rs 1,700 crore by extending the 122 km highway to connect Kalwakurthy and Kollapur in Telangana, to Atmakur and Nandyal in AP . With the construction of the bridge which forms part of the highway, the total distance between Hyderabad and Tirupathi is expected to be reduced by 80 km, and would relieve those travelling to Nandyal from going via Kurnool.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has tweeted on Thursday night, revealing the allocation of Rs 1,082.56 crore for the cable-stay bridge, which he said, was going to be constructed in 30 months. “After completion, this bridge would be the 2nd of its kind in the World and 1st in India,” he stated.
“It would have several unique features like the longest glass pedestrian walkway across a river, gopuram like pylons, signature lighting and a large navigational span,” he said, adding that the bridge would present an attractive view of Lalitha Someswara Swamy temple on Telangana side and Sangameswaram temple on the AP side.