Rajahmundry: Gammon India, which has constructed the four-lane bridge across the Godavari river, connecting Diwan Cheruvu to Kovvur, is finding it a tough task to generate revenue through the charge of a toll fee for the repayment of the loan that helped it execute the project.
Gammon India is able to collect about Rs 42 lakhs as toll per month while it is paying Rs 6 crore per month to the bankers as EMI. The company can collect toll from vehicles plying on the bridge for a period of 22 years, the amount being revised annually based on the prevailing Wholesale Price Index.
The bridge, built under the BOT method at a cost of Rs 800 crore, helps reduce the travel distance between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam by about 45 km.
The lack of four-lane connectivity to the bridge over a distance of a few km towards West Godavari is resulting in a good number of vehicles avoiding the bridge altogether.
However, restrictions are in existence on the plying of heavy tonnage vehicles on the rail-cum-road-bridge across the river, connecting Rajahmundry to Kovvur, which helps diversion of such vehicles to the four lane bridge.
A major portion of the execution of the road bridge is over. Grouting (application of fluid form of concrete) to the low-level embankments is going on and construction of drainage is also being taken up. Earlier, a small portion of the road caved in due to a brief spell of rain before the Godavari Maha Pushkaralu, inviting criticism of authorities for failing to take up strengthening of the high-level embankment.
Road Development Corporation EE K. John Sudhakar said, “Gammon India is earning about Rs 14 lakhs in revenue by collecting toll from daily commuters at Kovvur.”
The four-lane bridge is yet to be officially inaugurated and named. Rajahmundry MP M. Murali Mohan said earlier that he was pursuing the issue with chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
