59-year-old bridge in Dehra Gopipur outlives utility, commuters at risk

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, December 9

A 59-year-old narrow bridge over the Beas on the Kangra-Chandigarh national highway-503 in Dehra Gopipur, linking the district with New Delhi, Chandigarh and parts of Punjab and Haryana, has become prone to accidents because of a manifold increase in traffic.

Heavy trucks cause damage

• The bridge was designed for vehicles carrying 10 tonnes of load but now heavy trucks carrying up to 20 to 25 tonnes of steel, cement and other building material ply on it, causing extensive damage to it
• Deep potholes have developed at many spots and its entrance from the Dehra Gopipur side is also in a bad shape

This single-lane bridge was constructed in 1964 when Kangra was part of Punjab and the then Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon had inaugurated it. The bridge has outlived its life and needs immediate replacement. Thousands of commuters use it to travel to Dharamsala and other tourist destinations of Kangra, Chamba and Mandi districts. Besides, it also links different shrines of Kangra such as Jwalamukhi, Baglamukhi, Brajeshwari and Chamunda Devi, which are visited by lakhs of pilgrims every year.

In the past few months, a number of accidents have taken place on this bridge. An eight-feet-high steel railing installed on its both sides also needs immediate repair. It was designed for vehicles carrying 10 tonnes of load but today heavy trucks carrying up to 20 to 25 tonnes of steel, cement and other building material ply on it, causing extensive damage to it.

“The local MP has taken up the matter with Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Highways, for its replacement. However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not cleared the project so far,” says a senior officer of the state Public Works Department (PWD).

At present, there is no proposal to replace the bridge with a new one or convert it into a double-lane bridge. “If the NHAI decides to widen the Kangra-Mubarakpur-Amb road to four lanes only then a new bridge over the Beas can be constructed at Dehra Gopipur,” says a senior officer of the NHAI. The PWD has tried to repair the bridge but because of heavy traffic round the clock its efforts have not been successful.