2 yrs on, Dabhota bridge awaits repair

Two years after the devastating July 2023 floods tore apart the Dabhota bridge, Himachal Pradesh’s vital link to Punjab’s industrial and trade network, the structure still lies in disrepair, a grim reminder of bureaucratic sloth and the heavy toll it exacts on ordinary lives.

Built jointly by Himachal and Punjab in 1999, the 146-metre bridge once carried a constant stream of students, workers, patients and trucks laden with industrial goods. But when four of its supporting pillars collapsed, the lifeline snapped. Today, commuters are forced to take risky, longer routes, riddled with potholes and accident-prone turns.

Of the total 146 metres, nearly 42 metres were wiped out in the floods —17.5 metres on Punjab’s side and 24.1 metres on Himachal’s. The two states agreed to share the Rs 2.91-crore repair cost. Himachal deposited its share in May 2025, while Punjab handed the contract to a Hoshiarpur-based firm last year.

But progress has crawled. Rains, structural hurdles and what locals describe as “administrative lethargy” have kept the work site sluggish. A large chunk of the reinforcement work is yet to be completed, leaving uncertainty over when the bridge will reopen.

The human cost became painfully evident recently when a student and her family, trying to cross the river to reach an examination centre, were swept away with their vehicle. They were rescued by locals, but the incident reignited public anger over the delay.

Ropar PWD officials maintain that work has now intensified. Meanwhile, former Nalagarh legislator KL Thakur, frustrated by the slow pace, arranged a temporary pathway through the riverbed, laying pipes to drain water and offer some relief to stranded commuters.

For now, Dabhota continues to wait, for a bridge to be rebuilt and for accountability to rise from the ruins.