HYDERABAD: Even though the State government’s plan to construct an iconic pedestrian bridge on the Musi River, next to the Salar Jung Museum in Afzalgunj, received a lot of interest on social media platforms when it was first announced, no agency has come forward to submit a bid for its construction.
Since March, the Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA), a government body established for the development of Old City areas, has floated tenders on five occasions, the latest of which was recalled in the last week of August.
The proposed bridge would accommodate space for as many as 300 hawkers who are presently carrying out their business from surrounding Charminar areas. The State government wants to ensure that the livelihood of hawkers and petty vendors is not affected by Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP) works.
15 bridges planned
A total of 15 bridges, including the iconic bridge, have been planned across the Musi River and its tributary Esa to ease traffic in the city. An amount of Rs 545 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of these bridges.
The expenditure for the construction of the 15 bridges will be equally divided between the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) funds and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which will borrow from the bank.
Sources told TNIE that tenders have been floated for the iconic pedestrian bridge since March this year after making certain changes such as rules and conditions in the tenders, but no agency has expressed any interest, forcing the body to recall the tenders. ‘’We are hopeful that this time the agencies will respond to the bids,” they said.
The construction of the iconic bridge on the Musi River is proposed to be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore and is likely to be completed in 18 months.
Previously, the construction cost of the iconic pedestrian bridge was brought down from Rs 231.50 crore in 2019 to Rs 40 crore in 2023 by deciding to construct it as a simple bridge.
The bridge will be around 200 metres in length and 75 metres wide at the deck level and will connect Musi from Salarjung Museum to Afzalgunj. Grand entrance gates with minarets will be erected on both ends of the bridge.