The Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi corridor to have a bridge designed as a ‘Charkha’ or a spinning wheel as a symbol to represent ‘swadeshi’ or self-sufficiency. This will be a tribute, a homage to the ‘father of the nation’ –Mahatma Gandhi.
It is one of the most pioneering project of Maharashtra, 701-kilometre strech that would stand on a river, the 315-meter bridge will be the entry point to Wardha district, well-known for the Sevagram Ashram from where Gandhi led the nation for 12 years till Independence.
Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Swadeshi movement by taking up the charkha and encouraging fellow countrymen to weave their clothes instead of buying foreign goods and also to acknowledge the ‘Make in India’ concept and is also a symbolic identity of Wardha.”
Ashoka Chakra is a wheel represented with 24 spokes. It is so called because it appears on a number of edicts of Ashoka, most prominent among which is the Lion Capital of Ashoka. The most visible use of the Ashoka Chakra today is at the centre of the Flag of India (adopted on 24 July 1947), where it is rendered in a navy blue colour on a white background, replacing the symbol of charkha of the pre-independence versions of the flag.
The Chakra bridge will consist of three wheels, the two bigger rings will be of 40 metres in diameter and the smaller ones will be of 16-metre diameter. The Rs 55,000 crore ambitious expressways Will have iconic six-lane bridge, with two service lanes, will also be Crossing Over Wardha River.
Further reports informed that detailed designing of the bridge is done before hand but the construction work will resume soon. It is expected and estimated that the bridge will be functional by May 1, 2022. It will connect 10 districts, 26 talukas and 392 villages between the state’s first and second capital – Mumbai and Nagpur.
Radheshyam Mopalwar, vice chairman and managing director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is executing the project, said, “Apart from being one the most challenging projects, the Samruddhi corridor is also one the most aesthetically designed projects.”
Of the 33 major bridges that are being built along the corridor, five bridges at Wardha, Buldhana, Nashik, Thane and Nagpur will have iconic designs.
The designs under consideration for the bridge in Buldhana are to showcase a bird representing women empowerment. Nashik, known for its rich history, the bridge will be designed with hands showcasing ‘tarpana’, a Hindu practice of making offerings to the Lord, and in Nagpur, the bridge is likely to be in the form of a tiger to promote the movement ‘save the tiger.’ However, apart from Wardha, the designs for the four other bridges are still under-consideration.
