Darjeeling, April 19 -- With the Assembly elections round the corner, the proposed 'Alternative to Coronation Bridge' has again become the talking point of Dooars, triggered by tender cancellation notice for the 'Additional Major Bridge,' by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on April 13, 2026. The strategically important Coronation bridge connecting the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars to Assam was built to commemorate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 and was commissioned in 1941. The bridge is fragile with damaged pillars and cracks appearing after the 2011 earthquake. "Since 2011 we have been demanding an alternative. We have held a number of programmes and protests over the delay. However, except for assurances not much has materialised till now" remarked Chandan Ray of The Dooars Forum for Social Reforms.
In November 2025, Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP Raju Bista had announced that the tender process for the long-awaited alternative to the iconic Coronation Bridge would be initiated within December 2025, paving the way for the start of construction soon after. The proposed alternative bridge would link Ellenbari to Sevoke. Although the Union government had sanctioned Rs 1,190 crore for the project, progress had stalled for years because of jurisdictional complications Bista had alleged adding that the West Bengal government had failed to provide the necessary permissions. Later it was transferred to NHAI. The Tender Cancellation Notice, dated April 13, 2026 issued by the NHAI stated "Tender for Construction of Additional Major Bridge and its approaches across river Tessta at Sevoke..." - The bids for the subject mentioned project was invited on January 2, 2026. The Bid due date for receiving the bids is April 13, 2026. It is to mention that due to administrative reasons, the present tender is hereby cancelled. Bista in a press statement stated "Coronation Bridge alternative is being upgraded to a 6-Lane Highway, instead of the earlier proposed 4-lane. As a result, the Coronation Bridge tender has been deferred following the recommendation from the Standing Committee on Finance, MoRTH. The Standing Committee has noted that, "considering the strategic importance of the project and future traffic growth, the project highway may be developed as 6-lane configuration. The provision of footpaths may be reviewed and deleted and the project may be considered as 6-lane without footpaths, where ever appropriate." "All the leaders are in Dooars at present making tall promises. However on ground zero they cannot provide a basic necessity, despite decades having passed. Every time there is some excuse or other. Now there is no role of the West Bengal Government. The stretch has been transferred to NHAI under the Center. There should have been a detailed study and then the tender invited. After the call of the tender, why suddenly change the specifications? The people of Dooars feel that the genuine demand has been reduced to a mere election stunt" stated Minakshi Ghosh of Save the Dooars.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.