Collapsed railway bridge affects Chakki river flow

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, August 2
Even as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has spent Rs 110 crore on the construction of a protection wall and a check dam around the Chakki bridge on the inter-state highway at Kandwal, scrap from an old collapsed railway bridge is hindering the flow of water.
The Railways is building a new bridge on the Chakki river after the bridge on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge rail track had collapsed in August 2022.
Parts of the old railway bridge are still lying on the riverbed, obstructing the smooth flow of water. The river is in a spate due to torrential rains in the upper areas for the past two days.
The NHAI, which had spent crores to save the inter-state highway bridge, has failed to remove this junk. Eyewitnesses, who noticed the scrap blocking the flow of floodwater yesterday, said it could also lead to a change in the course of the river, besides damaging the protection wall and the check dam. It may be recalled that flash-floods had eroded the base of two pillars of the Chakki bridge a few years ago, posing a threat to it.
Initially, the NHAI had tried to protect the pillars by fortifying them with protection walls. However, it failed to bring the desired result. With assistance from IIT-Roorkee experts, the NHAI constructed the protection wall and check dam to save the pillars and channelise the river.
The NHAI had opened the bridge to heavy passenger vehicles on March 29 after 19 months. On June 21, the bridge was opened to heavy and loaded vehicles like trucks and tippers.
Meanwhile, local MLA Ranbir Singh said the NHAI should immediately remove the old bridge scrap from the riverbed. He said if the NHAI failed to act in time, the river could change its course putting in jeopardy the protection measures done by spending over Rs 110 crore.