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25/02/24 19:31 PM IST

PM inaugurates Signature Bridge in Gujarat

In News
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sudarshan Setu, India’s longest cable-stayed bridge, in the Gulf of Kutch.
Signature bridge
  • It connects the Okha town of Devbhumi Dwarka district of mainland Gujarat to Bet Dwarka, an island around 3 km off Okha.
  • Its total length is 4,772m, including a 900-m-long cable-stayed section.
  • The four-lane bridge, constructed for Rs 978 crore, was funded by the Union government.
Unique features
  • The bridge is supported by 32 piers, which support seven cable-stayed spans of 900 m length.
  • This is called the navigation section, which will allow the movement of fishing boats to and from the harbour called Dalda Bandar.
  • Besides its 27 m wide carriageway, the bridge has walkways on either side with its pillars decorated with verses of the Bhagavad Gita and images of Krishna.
  • Solar panels form the roof of these walkways.
Connecting Bet Dwarka
  • After the Union Territory of Diu, located at Una coast in Gir Somnath, Bet Dwarka is the second largest island off the Gujarat coast.
  • While Diu’s geographical area is around 40 sq km, Bet Dwarka is spread over 36 sq km.
  • Bet Dwarka island is part of Okha municipality and has a population of around 10,000.
  • At present, the only means of transport between Bet Dwarka and mainland Gujarat is the ferry boat service running from Dwarka to Okha, the nearest point of the mainland.
  • The Signature Bridge will provide all-weather road connectivity to the island.
  • A major pilgrimage and religious tourism spot, Shree Dwarkadhish Mukhya Mandir, a shrine of Lord Krishna, is located at Bet Dwarka.
  • The island also has dozens of other Hindu temples, a gurudwara and some mosques.
  • Thousands of pilgrims, mostly Hindus, visit Bet Dwarka for darshan at the Lord Krishna temple.
Source- Indian Express

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