Entrusted with the crucial responsibility of building and maintaining strategic roads all over the country, the Border Road Organisation (BRO), despite the coronavirus pandemic, has managed to construct a permanent bridge in Punjab, thereby, providing the much needed relief to farmers in the region.

The bridge is on river Ravi in border region of Gurdaspur connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab to the rest of the country and it was built ahead of its schedule. The enclave of around 35 square kilometres had hither to been connected via pontoon bridge of limited load capacity.

The pontoon bridge used to be dismantled every year prior to the monsoon or else it would have got washed away in the strong currents of the river. This meant thousands of acres of fertile land across the river could not be tilled by farmers during the monsoon. The local population and the Army (by virtue of the sensitivity of the enclave) required a permanent bridge to give all weather connectivity to the enclave.

The BRO planned for a 484-meter bridge  and it finally cost Rs 17.89 crores.  The BRO had planned to open the Kasowal bridge in time for Vaisakhi so that the farmers could transport their harvest to the market comfortably. The 16th and last Cell Division was completed on the March 15 and construction of protective works was under progress when the work came to a halt on March 23 due to the lockdown.

To ensure locals do not suffer during the harvest season and also to ensure the bridge does not get damaged because of the heavy discharge of water and the tendency of the river to change course in the monsoons, the BRO approached the Punjab Government and Gurdaspur  administration and obtained necessary approvals to continue the work.