1640 mt bridge likely to jump Dec 2025 deadline
*Govt apathy, paucity of funds reason behind delay
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 10: Having given 30 months completion time by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir a strategically important and longest bridge over river Chenab in J&K, connecting Jammu directly with Khour Sub Division and Jourian area via Pargwal, close to the Indo- Pak border, the concerned agencies failed to complete this bridge project even after nine long years.
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Sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in January in 2016, the work of this 1640 mt long bridge project worth Rs 170.85 crores was authorised by the PW(R&B) department to the JKPCC on April 16, 2016. As per the CRF guidelines, national e-tender was issued but the JKPCC failed to finalise the tenders and wasted nearly two years in the process. Then again, the Government asked R&B Department to take up the work and float new tenders in Sept 2018.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the work on the project under Central Roads Fund (CRF), was practically commenced during September 2018 and March 2021 was given the completion target of this longest road bridge in the Northern region to the agency/contractor M/s VKG Constructions from Chandigarh. In view of Covid, the J&K administration gave some relaxation to the agency, but despite that the agency has jumped more than four deadlines so far. The fresh deadline for the completion of this road bridge is December 2025 but the agency is unlikely to meet the deadline, citing official apathy and very slow flow of funds as the major reason behind the completion.
Sources said even after the passage of over seven years over 65% work has been executed on the project. The executing agency was reluctant to resume work after April 2020 as PW(R&B) department failed to clear its pending liability worth Rs 15 crores. However, the issue was resolved with the intervention of LG’s administration. As on date all the 40 piers (including banks-abetments) have been completed and out of 39 slabs of the super-structure, 14 have been completed. The agency will also construct 3.5 kms approach roads on both sides- Indripattan and Pargwal.
Sources further revealed that infact the work on this vital bridge was started in September 2018 by the contracting agency, a joint venture of M/s VKG & Associates and M/s MBZ Constructions- Chandigarh and Ukraine based agencies. The PW(R&B) Department is monitoring the over all work of this important bridge project. Unfortunately, the work remained abandoned by the contractors for about two years in between on the issue of non-clearance of liability.
Since very beginning, the progress of work on this very vital bridge, has remained at snail’s pace. Had the pace of work remained satisfactory, the bridge would have been functional in 2023. The senior engineers of the R&B Department Jammu, connected with the project, however, attributed the delay in the execution of work to poor flow of funds in the past for this CRF aided project.
This longest bridge in Northern India, considered to be very vital as per defence point of view, was initially expected to be completed by March 2021 as the agency R&B was quite hopeful to meet the deadline fixed by the Government. With the completion and commissioning of this 1640 mts concrete double-lane bridge, over 40 villages and nearly three dozens of hamlets of the Pargwal area which are exposed to frequent Pakistani firing from two sides and one side from river Chenab, will have direct connectivity to the Khour Sub Divisional headquarters, besides many vital forward defence installations and Army/BSF units.
Sources said that the people of this area were struggling for the last over three decades for the construction of this bridge. During Pakistani shelling, only one single road connecting Pargwal with Jammu-Akhnoor highway at Suyya No. I, serves as life line for the people. But some times this population of over 30,000 souls remain cut off during heavy shelling from Pakistani side as this only road is vert closer to border at several points and this bridge would provide them a vital outlet at the time of crisis. The bridge would also reduce the distance between Pargwal and Khour Tehsil/Sub- Divisional headquarters from 55 kms to hardly 14 kms.
Chief Engineer, PW(R&B) Jammu, Rajesh Gupta when contacted said that progress on the project remained satisfactory to some extent but presently the work is going on at slow pace. The work of launching superstructure has been started. Fourteen slabs have been completed.
He said in view of rainy season and fear of floods in the river, the work has been hit but the work on approach roads and slabs on some dry bed portion is going on. Another reason behind slow pace of work was Covid period. He said if the flow of funds will be satisfactory in the coming months the work will be completed by March next year.
Another Engineer, connected with the project said that about 65 % work has been executed so far over this bridge. All the 40 piers have been completed. He said work of laying slab has already been launched and the work will be completed by March 2026 if the flow of funds remained adequate.
He further disclosed that joint venture of two companies having good expertise in the field has secured this bridge contract worth Rs 119.67 crores. This is double-lane 12 mts wider bridge, having 1.5 mt foot paths on both sides. Each span will have 42 mts length. There will be nearly 3.6 kms approach roads on both sides (Pargwal and Indripattan) of the bridge. This bridge will be of vital importance for the border security agencies and for the movement of troops to the forward locations in Pargwal, Khour, Chhamb and Pallanwalla sub sectors during the time of crisis, he added.
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