Gujarat: Officials spar over user fee for Atal Bridge

Three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bridge — the first foot overbridge connecting the lower and upper promenade of the Sabarmati Riverfront and its east and west banks — imposing a user fee of Rs 30 has resulted in a rift between the elected wing of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and chairman of the Sabarmati River Front Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL).

SRFDCL chairman Keshav Varma protested the fee charged on visitors, while AMC standing committee chairman Hitesh Barot said “nothing should be for free”.

“Nowhere in the world money is charged from residents for using a foot overbridge… How can you charge money from the poor for using a bridge that is meant for public use only.