Ropar: Algran bridge damaged due to illegal mining closed to traffic

Tribune News Service

Ropar, December 22

Two days after PWD Chief Engineer Anil Kumar Gupta assessed the damage to the Algran bridge near Nangal, the authorities closed it to traffic today to avoid any untoward incident. A private agency hired for the safety audit of the bridge by PWD officials has already declared it unsafe.

The bridge connecting Nangal to Garhshankar and hundreds of villages in Nurpur Bedi area is on the verge of collapse due to continued illegal mining in the district for more than a decade. While a majority of 13 piers of the 30-year-old bridge have already been exposed up to a depth of 8 m due to illegal mining in the Swan river, pier number 7 has tilted. Pedestals of two bearings, which make it capable to carry heavy loads, uneven forces and vibrations, have also been damaged, resulting in increase in gap between the slabs of bridge.

Thousands of commuters from Nangal and Nurpur Bedi area, including students, will have to face hardship after closure of this bridge.

According to information, PWD officials are yet to decide the modalities to restore the damaged foundation of the bridge, so it was not clear that till what time it will be repaired and opened to traffic.

Meanwhile, the police has diverted the traffic coming from Nangal side towards Jindwari-Bhalan link road. Similarly, traffic coming from Nurpur Bedi side has been diverted towards Kahanpur Khir-Bhnagla link road via Bathri in Himachal Pradesh.

This, however, has led to resentment among locals, who have apprehensions that passing of heavy vehicles through link roads will damage these as well as small bridges. They said that three bridges on three streams of Sutlej on the Jindwari-Bhalan link road were constructed by Sant Baba Labh Singh of Kila Anandgarh through kar sewa with the help of local people. These are not as per PWD standards and specifications and are meant for smaller vehicles.

Ropar Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav said that all options were being explored to minimise the inconvenience to commuters as well as locals and protect the link roads and bridges.

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