Riyaz Ul Khaliq

SRINAGAR

Ever since the work on a single span 22 meter bridge was started in 2009, residents of Padshahi Bagh in southern part of Srinagar city pinned hopes that footfall on the existing bridge would be reduced. The bridge was completed in June 2012, but locals complain that the height of the bridge is a matter of concern for them.

Locals in Padshahi Bagh ‘mockingly’ call the bridge as 8th ‘wonder’ of the world, as the bridge has been constructed so high that makes it inapproachable.

Padshahi Bagh Bridge in Shambles
Padshahi Bagh Bridge in Shambles

“The height of bridge is very high. It seems that the houses and shops around this bridge will have to be displaced to construct the approach road,” Noor Muhammad Rather, a retired govt. official and a resident of the area told Kashmir Life. “This is 8th wonder of the world that awaits inauguration,” Gh Ahmad Rather, a local resident said mockingly.

Residents of the area fear that due to ‘insecure’ bunds near the bridge, their area may get submerged in water during floods.

“The bund has been cut down and its capacity to withhold the pressure of the water has decreased near the bridge. There are high chances of floods in the area,” an angry elderly, Haji Gh Ahmad told Kashmir Life.

The residents said that only a shed belonging to Irrigation department was removed from Lasjan side and nothing more was done to make this bridge fit for use.

“The bridge is complete but to use it, approach road is must. Irrigation shed has been removed but no work has taken place over it since then,” an angry resident said.

HISTORY

The single span bridge has been funded by Asian Development Bank with project cost of rupees 218 lakh and is being executed by Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA). State owned JKPCC had done the survey and the soil testing at the construction site.

Thereafter ERA allotted the bridge to a firm-contractor after tendering it.

Span Consultancy Services, New Delhi has designed its drawing and given its project cost.

The work on the bridge started in December 2009 and was completed in June 2012, but without an approach road in place, bridge remains inaccessible to commuters.

WHY APPROACHES ARE STILL IN COMPLETE?

The firm which bagged the contract says that it had formally, through notices, informed Span Consultancy Services about the height of the bridge from time to time but to no avail.

“We have sent many letters to the officials concerned but nobody paid any attention and the result is before us,” firm Engineer and retired Superintending Engineer, Muhammad Altaf told Kashmir Life.

Without any consensus on the approach road between executing agency and the designers, at least six designs were reportedly sent and rejected. Finally, the firm handed over the project to ERA – incomplete.

“We were given six drawings about the approaches duly signed by Span Consultancy which made our work impossible. We were asked to get details about the material to be used for approaches from New Delhi and when I personally got them from Delhi, the ERA Engineers did not pass it sighting high cost of the said material,” Altaf added.

“It caused a lot of problems to us and we left it. Infact we have a case pending in a city court against ERA,” the engineer informed.

ERA SPEAKS

Resident Engineer ERA, Mr. Hussein told Kashmir Life that there is no problem with the bridge. He said that the contractor did not want to continue with the work and he left it mid-way and they have re-issued the tenders that are still under process.

“There is no height problem with the bridge. I think the contractor was incapable to execute the new design,” Engineer Hussein told Kashmir Life over phone.

“Nobody will be displaced due to construction of the approach roads for which we have already issued tenders which are under process,” he added.

 

 

 

 

 

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