E-Paper
Partial closure of Khanna bridge causes trouble to commuters
One side of the bridge (from Ludhiana to Delhi) will be closed for traffic for nearly two months.
As the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) along with a private firm began the repair work of the bridge at the Panipat-Jalandhar National Highway (NH-44) in Khanna, commuters were in for a tough time with many forced to drive on an uneven road and some taking alternative routes.
One side of the bridge (Ludhiana to Delhi in Khanna) will be closed for traffic for nearly two months due to soil settlement. The sudden bend in the road was posing a threat to commuters after some complained of losing balance over the wheels, due to an uneven road.
According to the NHAI project director Virender Kumar, the excavation work is on to find out the possible cause of the damage. “We cannot comment on the reasons behind the settlement (road bending). The exact cause would be ascertained only after digging of the earth during repair work,” said Kumar.
Divulging the details, the company’s site in-charge Hitesh Dhawan said that the bridge has been closed due to settlement (caused sudden road bending). We have closed one side of the bridge for repair work and soon it be completely closed for traffic. “The repair work will take at least one-and-a-half month,” said Dhawan.
He blamed the dumping of garbage underneath the bridge and the resultant mice menace to be the reason behind the settlement. “For the past one year we have been writing letters to the Khanna Nagar Council to remove the garbage dump, but no action has been taken so far. The mice have led to the disturbing of soil which is suspected to have led to the settlement (caused a bend) in the bridge,” said Dhawan.
On the other hand, the council of engineers has condemned the constriction company for poor workmanship. Er, Kapil Arora, president of the council of engineers said, “The entire stretch and other flyovers located at Samrala Chowk in Ludhiana as well as Sirhind are also in poor condition.”
Meanwhile, Khanna Nagar Council’s executive officer Charanjit Singh said, “We have a dump underneath the bridge at Samrala Road. But we do not have any dump at the present site where the repair is taking place.”
