Shimla: 9 days on, Ghandal bridge remains closed for traffic

Sameer Singh

Advertisement

Shimla, July 19

With the continuous rainfall, the restoration work on the Ghandal bridge is likely to take some more time. Notably, the base of the Bailey bridge situated on National Highway-205 had suffered substantial damage due to the incessant rain last week. As a safety measure, the bridge was closed for vehicular movement on July 12 and the work to restore it has been going on since then.

Meanwhile, as a stop-gap arrangement for those using public transport, the police have allowed trans-shipment of the passengers to both sides of the bridge. The passengers cross the bridge on foot and then take public transport from the other side to reach their respective destinations. Earlier, the commuters had to travel a long distance, which was taking around two extra hours.

To facilitate trans-shipment of the passengers from both sides of the bridge, the Himachal Road Transport Corporation has deputed three instructors. To make it easier for the passengers, even bus numbers and mobile phone numbers of conductors are being shared. As per officials, around 150 buses would be used for trans-shipment of the passengers at the Ghandal Bailey bridge site.

Sanjeev Gandhi, the Superintendent of Police, Shimla, said, “The repair work and strengthening of the bridge base is on, but when will it be completed solely depends on the rain. After incessant rain in the past few days, there is comparatively less rain now. However, it has been raining continuously. As a result, the repair work has been getting affected. As a temporary measure, we have allowed trans-shipment of the passengers using public transport.”