The natural calamities that struck the entire State have not only damaged link and connecting routes in the length and breadth of the State, the damaged bridges have increased department concerned plight manifold for ensuring the smooth flow of traffic in the mountainous parts of the State.
Department officials lamented that the rough weather and poor connectivity of roads have been hampering department’s efforts for repairing the bridges. Apart from the roads that were damaged across the State after facing the natural calamities in the last month, bridges are also reported to be badly damaged. The vehicular flow of traffic along the Char Dham Yatra route is reported to be damaged as major connecting roads along with the bridges were washed away in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand.
The figures compiled by the PWD clearly highlighted that 142 bridges were damaged across the State in the natural calamities that struck entire State in the last month. Among the worst affected district is Tehri district as 36 bridges are reported to be damaged. Additionally, 22 bridges in Rudraprayag district 18 in Chamoli district, eight bridges each in Uttarkashi, Bageshwar and Pauri districts and 14 bridges in Pithoragarh district were damaged.
Sources confirmed that the Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi district are among the worst affected as 14 bridges are completely washed away in the natural calamities that struck Uttarakhand. Department officials claimed that the minor repairing of the bridges was already done for resuming the vehicular flow of traffic in the disaster hit areas of the State. It is also noteworthy that the department has been struggling to meet with the deadline, September 30 for declaring the blocked and damaged roads open for the vehicular flow of traffic with special focus is to be laid for the heavy vehicles. However, inclement weather has been hampering the department’s efforts for carrying speedy repairing work along the Char Dham Yatra route.
One of the department sources who wished anonymity told The Pioneer that every possible step would be taken by the department for repairing and reconstructing the damaged bridged in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand. He said that the department is coordinating with BRO for ensuring the speedy repairing of the damaged bridges in the higher parts of the State. He further told that tenders have been already sought by the department to repair the damaged roads at earliest and strict action would be also taken by the department against those contractors who fail to meet with the deadlines.