68-year-old narrow bridge over Beas on Kangra-Chandigarh NH a safety hazard

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 7

A 68-year-old narrow bridge over the Beas at Dehra Gopipur on the Kangra-Chandigarh National Highway-503 has become a safety hazard because of manifold increase in traffic. It links Kangra district with Delhi, Chandigarh and parts of Punjab and Haryana,

This single-lane bridge constructed in 1964 when Kangra district was part of Punjab was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister, Partap Singh Kairon. It has outlived its life span and needs immediate replacement as it is used by thousands of locals and tourists to travel to Dharamsala and other tourist destinations of Kangra, Chamba and Mandi districts. Besides, it is also a link to various shrines in Kangra district like Jwalamukhi, Baglamukhi, Brajeshwari and Chamunda Devi temples, which are visited by lakhs of devotees every year.

Being a narrow bridge built with old technology, it has become a safety hazard. In the past few months, half a dozen accidents have taken place on the bridge. The eight-feet-high steel railing installed on both sides of the bridge needs urgent repairs. In 1968, when the bridge was constructed, it was designed for vehicles carrying 10 tonnes of load but today it is used by heavy trucks carrying 20 to 25 tonnes of steel, cement and other building material, further resulting in damage to its structure. Many potholes dot the bridge. The entrance to the bridge from the Dehra Gopipur side is in a poor state.

Hoshiar Singh, Dehra MLA, says he has taken up the matter with the state government and requested for the construction of a new bridge.

However, information gathered by The Tribune reveals that till date, there is no immediate proposal to replace the bridge with the new one or convert it into double-lane. “Only if the Kangra-Mubarakpur-Amb road is four-laned by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a new bridge over the Beas can be constructed at Dehra Gopipur,” says a senior officer of the NHAI.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has made some efforts to repair the bridge, but due to heavy traffic round the clock, it has not made much difference.

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