Kharkai bridge: Future uncertain

Jamshedpur, June 12: The deputy commissioner of Seraikela-Kharsawan, Rajesh Kumar Sharma, today directed the special committee to submit its report on the safety of the existing bridge over the Kharkai within 48 hours.

The bridge is a vital link that connects Jamshedpur with Seraikela-Kharsawan district. The special committee, comprising engineers of the road construction department, drinking water and sanitation department and minor irrigation was constituted earlier this month to study the safety aspects of the bridge, ahead of the monsoon.

Sharma asked the special committee to suggest measures to be taken to safeguard the bridge, which is affected every year due to flash floods. The special committee has to find temporary measures to protect the bridge and also to earmark areas in close proximity of the bridge that get inundated due to flash floods.

Earlier, the inspection committee (comprising engineers of the minor irrigation and drinking water and sanitation departments) in its report had pointed out that the existing bridge might get washed away if flash floods hit it this year. The inspection committee had found out that the PWD (road construction) was setting up a second bridge just beside the existing bridge on Kharkai and the contractor has dug deep into the river-bed, while erecting pillars. As a result, the soil from near the pillars of the existing bridge had been partially removed, making the condition of the existing bridge vulnerable.

“As far as the safety aspect of the bridge is concerned, we do not want to take any chance. So, I have asked the special committee to come up with remedial measures for saving the existing bridge,” Sharma told The Telegraph.

Sharma maintained that as flash floods had hit the steel city in June last year following incessant rains, they wanted to ensure that risk factors of the existing bridge were taken care of prior to that.