KOLHAPUR: The All Party Action Committee has threatened to stop vehicular traffic on the Shivaji Bridge if the government fails to find any solution on the completion of new bridge within eight days.The committee, during a meeting held on Tuesday evening, strongly criticized government’s inaction on the dispute between a national highway official and the contractor owing to which the work was stopped work from Monday.Committee convenor Ashok Powar strongly criticized guardian minister Chandrakant Patil saying he was not looking into the issues. “We have been given promises that are not being fulfilled. The work is being delayed and people are suffering,” he said.The committee has given a deadline of eight days to the government to sort out the issue and warned to stop vehicular traffic on Shivaji Bridge — that connects Kolhapur and Ratnagiri Sources in the national highway said the proposal to transfer deputy engineer Sampat Aabdar has been sent to higher authorities. Sources said that Aabdar has told that he would not visit the site of the new bridge unless police protection was given to him.The existing Shivaji Bridge was constructed in 1887. The new bridge, parallel to existing one, was sanctioned in 2013. However, the work of the new bridge came to a standstill when the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) raised an objection in 2015 when 80% of the work was completed.Demand to complete the bridge was raised in 2016 and the work was started in October 2018 with March 2019 being the deadline. However, dispute between the contractor and national highway deputy engineer has again stopped the work.The contractor has claimed that he has so far spent Rs1.75 crore but his bills have not been cleared.

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