West Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday thanked the central government for approving an important bridge project on Teesta river costing Rs 1,175.59 crore. The six-lane bridge to be built on the Teesta river will be 6.91 kilometers long.

“On behalf of the people of West Bengal, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and the Union government led by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari for sanctioning Rs 1,175.59 crore for a 6.91 km long six-lane bridge over the Teesta river at Sevoke,” Chief Minister Suvendu said in a social media post.

In his statement, the Chief Minister said that this project is very important as the Siliguri Corridor (often called the 'chicken neck sector') is strategically important. Also, considering the geographical and environmental needs of the area, there was a need for a stronger and higher capacity bridge over the Teesta river.

According to him, the upgrade of National Highway-10 will ease the movement of passengers and goods and strengthen the regional supply chain for North Bengal, Sikkim and the entire North-East India.

He said that this project will also open new avenues of economic development for the local communities. “We appreciate this cooperative federal effort and reiterate our promise to provide all necessary ground support for the expeditious completion of this project,” the Chief Minister said.

This project to build a bridge on Teesta river was in the pipeline for a long time. It is expected that it will serve as an alternative to the historic Coronation Bridge (which was built in 1941).

Ever since the new state government came to power in West Bengal, the administration has been very active in improving the infrastructure in North Bengal as this area was neglected for a long time.

A state cabinet member said the government is actively coordinating with the central government to ensure infrastructure development in North Bengal.

A member of the state cabinet said, “Our aim is to promote the economic development of North Bengal by promoting the 'Triple T' i.e. 'Tea, Timber and Tourism' sector. For this, development of infrastructure in this area is very important. This bridge project is an important step in this direction.”