Unsafe bridges

THE drains along the border in Amritsar’s rural belt were built a few decades ago by the Army to establish a strategic barrier to check infiltration and also to drain out rainwater. However, the bridges constructed on the drains to connect 125 villages with the mainland are far from safe, thus endangering the lives of local people. Not only are they narrow, none of the nearly 25 bridges is equipped with safety grills, parapets or guardrails.

Appallingly, no corrective action has been taken despite the fact that one of these unsafe bridges — near Mahawa village — cost the lives of seven schoolchildren in an accident in September 2016. In the absence of railings, their school bus had plunged into a drain. The incident had triggered a public outrage, even as statewide action had been intensified under the Safe School Vahan scheme. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had taken notice of the case on the basis of a petition demanding that the officials concerned be brought to book for negligence in the upkeep of the dilapidated bridges. However, no one has been held responsible for the Mahawa tragedy.

There have been reports of repair work getting stuck over a dispute regarding jurisdiction. During the Army’s surgical strike in September 2016, border villagers were evacuated via these risky bridges in heavily loaded tractor-trailers. Instead of waiting for another tragedy to occur, the authorities must ensure regular maintenance of these bridges.