A new bridge being built alongside the Wakankar Bridge in Ujjain has come under scrutiny after a Dainik Bhaskar investigation claimed that its alignment was changed by nearly 30 to 35 % to avoid affecting land said to belong to influential people. The bridge is part of an important road project connecting Harifatak Square with the Indore Ring Road.
According to the Dainik Bhaskar report, the bridge was originally planned to run parallel to the existing Wakankar Bridge. However, during construction, one side of the bridge was shifted by nearly 100 metres, changing its direction and increasing its overall length.
Bridge now set to enter Smart City parking area
The changed alignment has created another issue. The bridge is now expected to land in the middle of a Smart City parking lot, which was built around four years ago at a cost of nearly ₹2.5 crore. If the current design is followed, a road will pass through the parking area, leaving little or no space for vehicle parking.
The report also says that the change will increase the distance between the up and down ramps used by commuters travelling between Harifatak Square and the Indore Ring Road.
Questions raised over design change
During its ground investigation, Dainik Bhaskar spoke to residents and workers at the construction site. They said some influential people claimed ownership of private land located next to the existing bridge. According to the report, instead of verifying these claims, officials changed the bridge’s alignment and moved one end of the structure away from the original plan.
A retired senior engineer told the newspaper that most new bridges in Ujjain are built parallel to existing ones. He said if the Wakankar Bridge extension had followed the same design, construction costs could have been reduced by ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore. He also noted that only a small 10 to 15-foot portion of the parking area would have been affected, instead of the bridge cutting through its centre.
Project details
The bridge is 240 metres long and 12 metres wide. The bridge itself is estimated to cost ₹16.7 crore, while the total project cost, including the connecting road, stands at ₹64.99 crore. The tender for the bridge work was awarded at ₹14.65 crore, which was 12.21 % below the estimated rate.
Officials respond
When contacted by Dainik Bhaskar, PS Pant, Executive Engineer of Setu Nigam, initially said he was attending a meeting but did not respond to later phone calls or WhatsApp messages seeking clarification on the design change.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Shiva, CEO of Smart City Ujjain, said the issue had been raised during a meeting. According to him, Setu Nigam officials cited technical difficulties in designing the bridge elevation. Since the project was already at an advanced stage, the matter was not pursued further. He added that the Smart City team is now searching for an alternative location for the parking facility.
Chief Engineer is to inspect the project
Reacting to the report, Gopal Singh, Chief Engineer of Setu Nigam, Madhya Pradesh, said he was not aware of the matter. He stated that he would personally visit Ujjain to inspect the under-construction bridge and gather complete information before making any further comments.
The findings published by Dainik Bhaskar have raised questions over the bridge’s revised alignment, its impact on public infrastructure and whether proper verification was carried out before the design was changed.
