Surat: Members of standing committee of BJP-ruled Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had last week visited the site where the second weir-cum-causeway in the downstream of Tapi River is proposed to be built.The weir-cum-causeway is likely to be built at a cost of Rs585 crore near Govardhan Haveli on Athwa -Dumas road and at D Villa on Adajan-Pal road. The project has been pending for the past 20 years because the BJP leaders were unable to decide whether it should be a traditional weir or a 16 million cubic metre (MCM) rubber barrage.Standing committee chairman Anil Goplani said, “We found the spot suitable for the construction of new weir with a road above it. Final decision on it will be taken soon.”Bharat Dalal, city engineer, SMC, said, “This weir will be bigger than the one at Singanpore and have 17 metre high and 5 metre wide 60 gates. Singanpore weir has just 16 gates. The construction cost will be around Rs385 crore whereas Rs200 crore will go towards acquiring land. It will take around five years for its construction.”SMC will have to acquire 12,112 square metre of private land towards Athwa -Dumas Road and 14,000 square metre of private land towards Pal-Adajan. The civic body will have to acquire 19,000 square metre of government land too for the weir-cum-causeway. The weir-cum-causeway at Singanpore was constructed in 1997 at a cost of Rs32 crore.

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