Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 16: A vital bridge, connecting a vast population of Old Town to Civil Lines in Baramulla district is in shambles for several years with Government turning a blind eye towards its restoration.
Made up of wooden logs, the bridge, locally known as SRTC Bridge, constructed over Jhelum is unsafe not only for vehicular traffic but also for the pedestrians.
Though the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department has sent a proposal to Government for the repairing of the bridge but there has been no response from the State so far. An Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) who was posted in the area till couple of months ago told Excelsior that the repairing costs Rs 4 crore. He said that the piles of the bridge have been severely damaged. “However, the proposal has not been accepted yet,” he said.
The floods of September 2014 made the bridge further unsafe.
Following the public demand and keeping in view the importance of SRTC Bridge, the R&B Department constructed a Pantoon bridge as an alternative for “time being”. “The bridge came at a cost of Rs 20 lakh rupees, an official said. The Pantoon Bridge, however, got inundated after river Jhelum was flooded in March this year.
In absence of a secure bridge, the residents of Baramulla either risk their lives by crossing through the SRTC Bridge or they use the services of a boat. The boat charges five rupees a person.
Though there are three other bridges – which connect the Old Town with New Town – but the SRTC Bridge holds lot of importance, the locals said.
The Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Baramulla, Javaid Beigh, told Excelsior that the SRTC Bridge would be repaired within 6 months. “The repairing of the bridge is my first priority. I have taken up the issue with the R&B Minister, Altaf Bukhari. I promise to you that the bridge , as of now, would be repaired in 6 months and new one would be constructed after 3 to 4 years,” he said.
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