SRINAGAR: The Bijbehara Beautification Project in south Kashmir has not been abandoned, but further work is currently dependent on the shifting of utilities belonging to departments including Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Power Development Department (PDD), the Jammu and Kashmir Government has informed the Legislative Assembly.
The project was allotted in October 2025, and approximately 700 metres of the corridor on either side of the old National Highway has been completed, according to the Public Works (R&B) Department.
The department said the remaining work would be completed within the stipulated period under the terms of the contract once the utilities are shifted and the required corridor is made available.
The government was responding to an Un-Starred question raised by MLA S Bashir Ahmed Shah Veeri regarding the status of the beautification project and several bridges in the Bijbehara area.
Gantalipora-Takibal bridge approaches delayed
On the Gantalipora-Takibal Bridge, the government said the bridge itself has been completed, but its approaches could not be executed under the original project scope.
The bridge was initially approved at a cost of Rs 94.66 lakh, with approaches proposed through open-trench excavation. However, following a soil investigation at the site, the department adopted a pile foundation and increased the bridge height in accordance with the 2014 highest flood level (HFL).
The approaches were subsequently taken up separately by the department in December 2025 at an estimated cost of Rs 95 lakh.
One of the approaches has been substantially completed, while progress on the other side has remained slow because the land has been identified as private/property land by the Revenue Authorities, the government said.
Wopzan-Hapat Khut bridge opened
The Wopzan-Hapat Khut Bridge, meanwhile, has been completed and opened to traffic from September 1, 2026.
The work was taken up under the UT Sector during the 2025-26 financial year at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, according to the department.
Rope bridge movement described as normal
On concerns over the movement of the recently inaugurated suspension footbridge between Dara Shikoh Garden and Padshahi Bagh, the government said the movement or vibration experienced when pedestrians cross the bridge is a normal characteristic of such structures.
The department explained that a suspension footbridge has a flexible, cable-supported structural system and pedestrians impose dynamic rather than purely static loads while walking across it.
As a result, the main cables and suspenders undergo slight deformation in response to moving loads, producing movement of the bridge, it said.
No technical deficiency found
Asked whether the government would constitute a Technical Committee to examine alleged deficiencies and safety concerns involving the bridges and fix responsibility for any established lapses, the department said the structures in question had already been inspected and verified.
It stated that no apparent technical deficiency had been observed in the aforementioned bridges.
The government therefore did not indicate any proposal to constitute a separate technical committee in the reply.
The response was issued by the Public Works (R&B) Department in the Legislative Assembly in reply to the questions raised by MLA S Bashir Ahmed Shah Veeri.
