SURAT: More than five lakh citizens living in Adajan , Pal and Rander areas are still facing major issues of traffic every day as cable-stayed bridge still remains incomplete even seven years after its foundation was laid. For them the only way to commute to other side of river is via Sardar Bridge. With a capacity of 15,000 PCU (passenger car unit), this bridge remains chock-a-block during peak hours as it has a load of nearly 30,000 PCU on daily basis.Kamlesh Jadhav, a government employee residing at Honey Park road in Adajan, has to leave early at about 9 am to report at his office located at Udhana Darwaja before 10.30 am. Though the distance from his home to office is merely six kilometres, he spends most of the time stuck in the heavy traffic from Bhulka Bhavan to Sardar Bridge and beyond. So far, the distance that would ideally take just 15-20 minutes, requires more than an hour to commute.Jadhav is not an isolated case. About five lakh commuters residing in the areas like Pal, Adajan, Rander, Mora Bhagal, Jehangirpura and other areas are facing same problems, while going and coming home from their workplaces.Being an only bridge connecting these areas to Athwalines, Vesu, Parle Point, Ring Road, Sahara Darwaja, Majura Gate, Udhna, etc., on the other side of the river, the narrow four-lane Sardar Bridge has become commuters' nightmare.While the prestigious cable-stayed bridge project — construction of which is still on at a snail's speed — connecting Pal and Athwalines has been delayed for more than four years and still the authorities are not sure about its completion.Chetna Desai, a housewife residing at Adajan, said, "We don't want prestigious cable-stayed bridge, but a simple bridge to ease the traffic. My monthly fuel budget has literally gone up as I have to travel daily from Adajan to Parle Point."Another resident, Sagar Dave, a private banker, said, "If they (civic body) can't complete the ongoing cable-stayed bridge on time, there is no point of bragging about the smart city and developed city notions. All the residents here are pissed off since six years."In 2012, the civic body had proposed the construction of a low-level bridge connecting Pal and Umara to ease the traffic movement on Sardar Bridge. The construction of the same has started, but there are some technical issues related to the private land, which are being sorted out. If the bridge is completed in the next one or two years, the traffic could be diverted, easing the pressure on the Sardar Bridge.

Stay updated with all the Latest Surat headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.