Though it will be a welcome development, the inter-State bridge across the Pranahita river at Gudem in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district is also likely to cause dislocation in the area once its construction gets completed in February next year. The single-lane roads leading to the bridge situated in a remote yet picturesque corner in Chintalamanepalli mandal are not strong or wide enough to bear the heavy vehicular traffic which will be moving to and from Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, which is expected to create problems of its own.
Road strengthening and widening will have to be done on the 35-km stretch between Koutala mandal headquarters and Gudem on one hand and the 4-km stretch between Babasagar and Chintalamanepalli mandal headquarter village on the other if the impending problem is to be avoided.
“A few thousand vehicles of all descriptions will be diverted on this route every day,” asserted Adilabad Circle R&B Superintending Engineer Md. Nazeer Ahmed.
“This is an estimate made out of our experience during summer when a bailey bridge laid to facilitate construction was used by thousands of people on both the sides to make the river crossing,” he recalled.
‘Liquor traffic’
Locals, however, attribute the increase in traffic flow to Maharashtrians flocking to Gudem and other villages from across the riverine border in search of liquor as it is banned in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts. The retail liquor outlet at the far-flung and backward Bejjur mandal headquarters incidentally fetched the highest rental of over ₹2 crore during auction two years ago.
Among the other changes that the Gudem bridge is set to cause in the surroundings is putting out of job over a score of boatmen who eke out a living by ferrying people on both sides.
People on either side share relationship, including trade and commerce, which makes ferrying people a good livelihood option.
Reduced travel time
The one-kilometre long bridge, which boasts of 25 vents positioned as 40 mtr span each, connects Gudem to Aheri taluka headquarters in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. It will reduce the distance taken to travel to Aheri by road by 80 km for the locals, who, at present, make a detour through Wankidi at the district’s northern border and Chandrapur in Maharashtra.
Change in design
A remarkable aspect of the bridge is the saving of ₹30 crore made through change in design. Of the ₹90 crore sanctioned for the bridge, only ₹60 crore will be spent as some changes made by Engineer-in-Chief (Roads) P. Ravinder Rao proved quite economical.