KOLKATA: Tourists from Kolkata visiting Bakkhali, Frazergunj, Henry’s Island and Jambudwip Island have a lot to cheer as the state government on Thursday inaugurated a bridge over the Hataniya-Doania river, connecting Namkhana . Though some work is still left, the 3.3-km bridge looks to reduce travel time from the city to Bakkhali by at least two-and-a-half hours by cutting down on the waiting time for barges across the river.The Rs 226-crore project took four years to complete.To address travellers’ woes, the state took up the construction of the bridge, which will reduce travel time to three hours by car and four hours by bus from the earlier five and six hours respectively. Inaugurating the bridge, state minister Aroop Biswas said, “The bridge will ensure travel from Kolkata to Bakkhali is a smooth ride. It will also boost tourism to Bakkhali, Frazergunj, Henry’s Island and Jambudwip.”The remaining work includes completion of the pedestrian pathway on the right side of the bridge, when viewed from the Namkhana-end. Also, the approach road from the Bakkhali-end is yet to be completed. But now that the bridge has been opened, the authorities have decided to allow only light vehicles and bikes to ply the structure till the approach road is built. These vehicles will have to take an uneven stretch on one flank of the underconstruction approach road for now, while the other flank is built. The bridge also needs a coat of paint.So far, city tourists to Bakkhali, Frazergunj, Henry Island and Jambudwip as well as daily commuters had to take NH-117 and drive five hours by cars or travel by bus for over six hours to reach Bakkhali. The other option was to reach Namkhana by road or train and board barges to cross the Hataniya-Dowania and get off at Bakkhali on the opposite bank. There were complaints aplenty over the tardy barge services operated by the State Surface Transport Corporation. Tourists and commuters had to put up with irregular services with operators often telling passengers that the river was not navigable during low tide. Some even cited lack of regular dredging of the river as a factor hindering navigation.Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced the formation of a Bakkhali-Sagar Development Authority, which will be responsible for the development and beautification of Bakkhali and Sagar Island to attract more tourists.