Unsafe Mehjoor Nagar bridge open to more traffic
Public life at risk; DDC for permanent barricading
At a time when flood spill-channel has been flowing ferociously, Mehjoor Nagar bridge across it, which has already been declared unsafe is open for more of traffic. Reasons: The barricade, which would prevent movement of heavy vehicles has been removed risking life and property of people.
The bridge is feared to prove disastrous for people crossing it. Official documents reveal that in 2014 the Roads and Building (R&B) department declared the bridge unsafe for any vehicular traffic. That time throwing safety concerns to winds the government allowed its use for light vehicles. But now heavy vehicles too have started plying while engineers fear the bridge collapse anytime.
Official sources said last week in the garb of flood crisis some miscreants removed the barricade to facilitate movement of heavy vehicles including trucks and tippers.
When contacted an R&B official said the district administration has been formally informed. “This bridge is unsafe and we are concerned but we are unable to resist the moves of miscreants who take law into their own hands,” said a lower rung official posted in the area.
District Development Commissioner Farooq Ahmed Lone said he has directed the R&B to “permanently barricade the bridge.”
Last year in a letter dated March 20, 2014 vide No SE/DB/24410-12, the R&B told the administration: “Kindly refer Executive Engineer (R&B) Construction Division 2nd Srinagar letter NO: 26815-17; dated 10,03.2014 addressed to this office, copy among other endorsed to your office as well. In this connection, it is to report that Mehjoor Nagar Bridge is an old Timber bridge situated across the flood channel Ram Bagh connecting Jawahar Nagar and Mehjoor Nagar.”
“After spot verification conducted by the concerned officers of this department, it has been observed… The bridge is of timber structure and is very old. There is no protection mating over members,” the report reads.
It states that the bridge parts are badly damaged. “The vertical members acting as piers of the bridge are damaged / broken and are not strong enough to resist any class of vehicular loading. The decking of bridge is sunken / deflected from its original position and cross members are also damaged. The wooden piles, acting as foundation of bridge does not seem to have load bearing capacity to resist the vehicular traffic,” the engineers observed.
