The Supreme Court has permitted the Andaman and Nicobar administration to construct the bridge from Middle strait to Nilambur Jetty in Baratang in an order May 01.
Member of Parliament, Bishnu Pada Ray said the construction of Middle Strait Bridge will commence soon. He pointed out that the work was earlier with the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) but later it was handed over to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL).
“One officer of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration wrote in file that the bridge comes within 500 metres of Jarawa Reserve and falls in the buffer zone. Following this, the administration had to move to Supreme Court and now the Honorable Supreme court has said that the bridge can be built in Middle Strait,” Ray added.
The Middle Strait bridge is 960 metres long and 14.8 metres wide. The cost of constructing the bridges is estimated to be Rs 262.97 crore.