NEW DELHI: The plan to provide a bird’s eye view of Delhi to tourists from the observation deck of Signature Bridge has hit a roadblock. Officials of the Delhi government are undecided as to how to take people to the lift at the main pillar, from where they will be taken to the deck.
Chief Secretary Vijay Dev held a meeting with officials on the matter and asked them to chalk out a proposal in this regard soon, and seek help from an advisor. The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) is the implementing agency for the plan.
Signature Bridge, which spans the river Yamuna, connecting Wazirabad to east Delhi, was thrown open to the public last November. Within a few days of its opening, there were several fatal accidents on the bridge, some due to lack of proper traffic signs, so DTTDC is being extremely careful, and has been unable to decide how visitors will be taken to the observation deck.
Two ideas are under consideration. One is to take visitors in minibuses to the lift in the main pillar, and the other is to set uplifts on the sides of bridge for visitors to reach the main pillar, or a ramp for people to reach the lift to the deck.
Dev asked the officials to work on finalising a plan and directed that an advisor be appointed for this specific problem. Only after the report from the advisor will the officials further.
The bridge, with an eight-lane carriageway, is India’s first asymmetrical cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge. The pylon of the bridge is the tallest structure in Delhi, and it is double the height of Qutub Minar.
The DTTDC is planning to build gardens and a children’s park in the open spaces around the bridge.
Once open, the observation deck will accommodate 50 to 60 visitors at a time. Built with a glass facade, it will be divided into four levels and fitted with two elevators for transporting people to the top of the pylon. The deadline for this is June 30. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had recently visited the construction site.
Bird’s eye view
At a height of 154 metres, the observation deck would be twice as high as the Qutub Minar
I will be able to accommodate 50 to 60 visitors at a time