8 yrs on, flyover yet to be completed in Palampur

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, October 23

Even after a lapse of eight years, the state Public Works Department (PWD) has failed to complete the construction of a flyover being constructed in the heart of the town.

The construction of the Rs 5-crore flyover project was taken up eight years ago by the national highway wing of the PWD to ease traffic movement in the town and check regular traffic jams on the narrow Pathankot-Mandi national highway, which passes through the town.

However, because of defective designs, as claimed by the contractor, a span of the flyover collapsed twice killing three persons, including a PWD official. The contractor who suffered heavy losses was left with no alternative but to suspend the construction. Besides, the contractor wanted changes in the design because of technical problems he had faced. But, the PWD refused to change the designs on the pretext that the design of the flyover was approved by the Ministry of Transport. Therefore, it could not be amended.

The contractor again made efforts in 2011 to install the spans that had collapsed earlier. But during construction, the same span collapsed again killing a PWD supervisor. Since then the construction of the flyover had come to a halt. In the past eight years, the cost of constructing the flyover has almost doubled because of the delay on the part of the PWD to finalise its new design.

Official sources said the PWD had proposed certain changes in its design of the flyover to complete it early but matter is still hanging fire. The delay in the completion of the flyover is causing great inconvenience to local residents.

In the absence of the flyover, regular traffic jams can be seen in the town. Traffic, including heavy vehicles, pass through the town daily resulting in a traffic bottlenecks. Despite the fact that the Holta bypass is fully operational, the administration has allowed the entry of heavy vehicles, including long-route buses, which has made the situation worse.