 |
| The exposed steel in one of the pillars of the bridge in Balurghat. Picture by Ramen Mondal |
Balurghat, Aug. 4: Chunks of plaster have fallen off the three pillars of Saroj Setu over the Atreyee river, endangering the lives of lakhs of people who use the 26-year-old bridge in the South Dinajpur district headquarters.
The river flows through the heart of the town and with the concrete cover being peeled off, the steel used in the bridge is exposed to corrosion.
The people in the town have said they drew the attention of the state public works department (PWD) to the condition of the bridge, but no repair work has been carried out yet.
Local MLA and social welfare minister Biswanath Chowdhury said it was a matter of concern that the pillars of the bridge were rapidly losing the concrete cover. “I will take up the matter with PWD minister Kshiti Goswami and ask him to see to it that immediate action is taken,” said Chowdhury.
Former RSP MLA Mukul Basu said the bridge should be repaired without further delay.
“Lakhs of people use the bridge every day. As thousands of vehicles ply on the bridge, the repair should be carried out as soon as possible,” said Basu.
Altu Sarkar, a book dealer, said as the state highway 10 that links Balurghat with Malda and Calcutta was being converted into an expressway, many heavy vehicles were being diverted through the bridge.
“Trucks laden with even 40 tonnes of goods move on the bridge. With the onset of the monsoon, the damaged portions of the pillars are under water, exposing the steel material used in the construction of the bridge to corrosion. The administration is not interested in checking if the bridge has the capacity to withstand the weight of heavy vehicles,” said Sarkar.
The executive engineer of the PWD (roads) of South Dinajpur, Subhasis Das Sarkar, admitted that the damage had been brought to the department’s notice.
“At present, there is nothing to fear as such bridges can last up to 60 years. However, we will carry out repair as soon as the water level of the Atreyee comes down,” he said.
