PWD spends Rs1.92 cr on bridge all set to sink

Ajay Ramola

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, March 13

The Public Works Department (PWD), Thatyur division, seems to have a lot of money to waste. It has unnecessarily spent Rs 1.92 crore on the construction of the abutments of a bridge over the Aglar rivulet in the Jaunpur Development region. The bridge is likely to submerge in the lake once the Lakhwar dam project comes up.

The old bridge over the Aglar rivulet on the Dehradun—Vikasnagar—Yamunotri highway, 25 km from Mussoorie, was built in the 1960s, and had since been in a state of neglect. As this bridge connects Dehradun, Vikasnagar, Mussoorie, Tehri with Yamunotri, the PWD got the government approval for constructing a new bridge adjacent to it at an estimated cost of around Rs 3.42 crore. However, it later shelved the project after constructing the abutments of the bridge on both sides of the rivulet at a cost of Rs 1.92 crore.

PWD Chief Engineer Hari Om Sharma says the department was informed that the bridge would submerge under the lake of the Lakhwar dam once the project was completed. Hence they shelved the proposal and repaired the old bridge in the interest of commuters. A bailey bridge is also proposed on the abutments of the new bridge, besides repairing the old bridge, adds Sharma.

Local residents are peeved at the lackadaisical approach of the PWD that has led to wastage of taxpayers' money.

Former Cabinet minister Khajan Das says when the PWD were to repair the old bridge why did it decide to construct the new one. The proposal of the dam was made in 1970 and every official knew that the bridge would submerge once the dam comes into existence. He adds it is nothing but embezzlement of public money in the name of repair and construction of the bailey bridge. He will take up the matter with the state and Central governments to stop misappropriation of funds. 

There is no coordination among various departments in the state. Projects are undertaken without determining their viability, thus causing revenue loss to the state that is already facing a financial crisis, says social activist Tahir Mohammad, a resident of Nainbagh.

Eminent social activist from the region Megh Singh Kandari says it is unfortunate that after spending crores of rupees on constructing the abutments of the new bridge over the Aglar rivulet, the PWD has shelved the project. 

Kandari says the Lakhwar project that is going on for the past 30 years will probably take another 20 years to complete. The PWD should have gone ahead with the construction of the new bridge as it would cost a lot to repair the old one. 

He adds the proposal of building a bailey bridge as a temporary measure is not only waste of money but also risky as it will be on the Char Dham Yatra route and will bear the pressure of pilgrims.

Kandari says as the Lakhwar Dam project will take a long time to complete the new bridge should be constructed in the interest of local residents and pilgrims.

The construction work on the highways to Yamunotri and Gangotri has been going on for a long time. It has been delayed due to the lackadaisical approach of the state government.

The PWD has allotted road projects to contractors with little knowledge about construction of highways while these should have been given to experts, says Gopal Rawat, former BJP legislator from Gangotri. He adds the delay in the work on the Yamunotri highway will affect the yatra and inconvenience pilgrims. 

Rawat says he will take up the matter with Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and demand a separate monitoring agency to ascertain the quality of the work being done on the highway.