Commuting by bus between Dhanbad and Bokaro will take an hour or so longer this Durga Puja, thanks to a 40km detour being effected to facilitate the ongoing repair of Telmacho bridge.

Dhanbad district administration and police have decided to divert coal town-bound heavy vehicles (buses, trucks and trailers) via Chandankyari, Birsa Pul, Sindri, Baliapur, Govindpur, Hirak Road and Memco More between September 27 and 30.

The move is aimed at tackling the rush of pandal-hoppers to Jharia and Dhanbad from Saptami to Dashami.

Normally, a Bokaro-Dhanbad bus covers Chandankyari, Birsa Pul, De Nobili More, Digwadih, Jorapokhar and Jharia to reach the coal capital.

Dhanbad SSP Manoj Ratan Chothe issued this traffic diversion order on Sunday. 'Buses will follow the new route during their return journey from Dhanbad to Bokaro,' Chothe's notice read.

Telmacho bridge over the Damodar river developed a crack on March 6. Following an inspection, officials of both Dhanbad and Bokaro districts decided to stop movement of heavy vehicles on the bridge. Smaller vehicles continued to ply till repairs began.

Heavy vehicles were diverted via Jharia, Jorapokhar, De Nobili More, Birsa Pul and Chandankyari, 15km longer than the Dhanbad-Mahuda-Telmacho bridge-Bokaro route.

On September 13, the NHAI started repairing the bridge and movement of cars and bikes were also barred till September 22.

Debashish Das, a Jharia resident working at a private office in Bokaro, said, 'We are already covering an additional 15km distance between Dhanbad and Bokaro ever since the crack developed on the bridge. Now, we have to take a 40km detour for four days. It will cause a lot of inconvenience.'<>Randhir Kumar, a sales representative with a pharma company who needs to shuttle between Dhanbad and Bokaro frequently, said he would ride his bike instead of a bus. 'I can't afford to cover an additional 40km, which may take an extra hour, because I have to meet deadlines,' he added.

Could the authorities have avoided the long detour? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com

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