Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 31: The untimely closure of the 4th Tawi bridge from Ware House side to Bhagwati Nagar, providing vital link to Akhnoor Road and Poonch -Rojouri districts, has caused much inconvenience to the general public in the region while repeated floods in the river during this rainy season have hampered the protection work at the bridge causing additional damage to the structures.
Surprisingly, the work on Rs 17 crore project, consisting of raising concrete embankments/ protection walls along the approach road of this Tawi bridge was started during the last week of June by the JKPCC, despite knowing that Monsoon season was just ahead.
Not only this, the decision of the Administration and the JKPCC / R&B authorities to close this bridge for protection works during Shri Amarnath Yatra and Shri Budha Amarnath ji pilgrimage at Mandi in Poonch, was highly unjustified. The base camp of the Yatra is located at Bhagwati Nagar and opening of this bridge during the Yatra period was important. With this unwise decision, the pilgrims suffered a lot and it also caused massive traffic jams at Bikram Chowk, Jewal Crossing and Canal Road.
On September 7, when Tawi crossed danger mark, the JKPCC authorities had already declared to open the bridge within one week, but the flood washed away the filled material from the river bed at the first pillar of the bridge and created large gap there. At least five days work of filling `Mulba’ by the tippers and other machines, gone down the drain, causing huge loss to the Govt exchequer.
The foundation of the very first pillar of the bridge got exposed as the concrete protection wall raised was not so high and the flood water crossed over it and washed away the filled up area widening the distance between the bridge and the approach road. This not only happened once but at least for four-five times during the July-August floods. The Govt agency continued filling the gap and flood water repeatedly washed away the material during this period.
Instead of completing this work within a month time, more than two months have passed but the work could not be completed till today. Sources in JKPCC who are supervising the works told the Excelsior that it may take at least one more month to complete the entire protection works, as protections wall downstream the river has yet to be raised. Even about 100 meters long concrete protection wall upstream Nikki Tawi towards barrage piers has not been completed. This work may also take at least one week time. They said during rains and floods, the works can not be initiated at the site.
Even for the passers by, no provision has been left by the agency to have temporary passage for the general public over this bridge. Some school going children have to cover a long distance via Bikram Chowk bridge to reach Canal Road and Bhagwati Nagar and vice versa. Unplanned and untimely exercise on the part of senior officers of the R&B department/ JKPCC , has not only caused much damage to Govt exchequer but also created most inconvenience for the pilgrims and general public as completion period of the project has also been doubled.
August 7 flood also caused extensive damage to concrete protection wall at the other bank of Nikki Tawi near bridge. It has exposed the other side first pillar of the bridge to danger of the heavy flood. One pier of the proposed Tawi barrage has also got tilted. That side needs immediate protection work by the I&FC departments but even after three weeks of that flood, the officers at the helm of affairs have to wake up from deep slumber to carry on urgent protection work.
Managing Director of the JKPCC (J&K), Dalip Thussu when contacted said that about 90 % of work on protection wall upstream has been completed. He said down stream protection wall work is still remaining but by September 10, one tube of the bridge will be opened for traffic. He claimed that work is expected to be completed by all means in next 15 days.
When asked why the work was started just before the rainy season even knowing about the flood devastation in Tawi river every year, the MD said the work was commenced in June and it was expected to be completed within 45 days, well before the Monsoon season but as the Monsoon was advance this year, the problem had to be faced.
He however, claimed that no much damage has been caused to the protection work or to the bridge and pace of work has been expedited now. He said that Rs 17 crore has been sanctioned for the project and over Rs 8 crore have been utilized so far.
Thussu further said that after September 2014 floods, the river shifted its course towards Nikki Tawi and over 70 % of the water now flows towards that side. The protection works were damaged during that time and a portion of approach road was also washed away. He said barrage is also yet another reason of damage to this bridge and its protection works.
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