Bridge Construction: PWD issues tender for construction of bridge in Ujani backwaters | Pune News

Pune: About two months after the incident in which a boat capsized on May 22, killing seven people at Kalashi village in the backwaters of Ujani dam, the state Public Works Department (PWD) has floated a tender for the construction of a bridge to connect villages in the tehsils of Karmala in Solapur and Indapur in Pune. The Rs 284.5 crore project of Shirsodi (in Indapur) and Kugaon (in Karmala) will spare villagers a 90-km detour by road — a major reason for them to travel by boat. “Apart from providing safe connectivity, the bridge will also boost agricultural and economic development of the region,” a PWD official said. “We will finalise the agency in the next two to three weeks. An experienced agency that has executed similar projects will be selected for this work,” a senior PWD engineer told TOI. “There are two bridges in Koyana dam, but their length is shorter than Ujani dam due to the shape of the water body. Ujani is identical to Jayakwadi dam on Godavari river in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. As a result, the length of the bridge is about one kilometre,” the engineer added. Ujani dam is one of the largest dams in the state in Bhima basin and can store 117 TMC water. The PWD aims to complete the project in the next two-and-a-half years. “Hundreds of villagers from both districts, Pune and Solapur, travel by unregulated and unsafe private boat services. Safety has always been a major concern for these people. But since it reduces the travel time, people choose to risk their lives,” said Bharat Shah, former chairman of Indapur Municipal Council. “Therefore, building a bridge is the only solution to address the problem. The government should complete the project as soon as possible,” Shah added. Former sarpanch of Kugaon village Tejaswini Kokare, who has taken up the matter with the authorities, told TOI, “It is a huge relief for thousands of farmers from both the districts. The bridge will reduce the travel time between Pune and Solapur. It will also reduce the travel distance to Dharashiv district in Marathwada.” The villages in Karmala, near the Ujani backwaters, are known for growing export-quality bananas. Thousands of tonnes of bananas are exported every year through the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai. “The transportation cost of farm produce will come down considerably,” Kokare added. “The villages here have huge potential to become famous tourist destinations. Hotels and homestays are being run here, but the number is limited. The bridge will change this scenario as boating, water sports and hotel business will get a boost,” said Dhulabhau Kokare, a villager from Kugaon village.