Sans repair, bridge turns death trap

PARADIP:  DUE to lack of maintenance, the bridge over Mahanadi river near Bhutamundei on Paradip- Chandikhole National Highway- 5 (A) has turned into a death trap. Accidents are a regular affair on the bridge which is ridden with potholes and cracks. Besides, there are no lights or traffic signal for safety of commuters plying on the bridge. Last month, a cargo-laden truck fell 40-foot off the bridge into Mahanadi after its driver lost control of the vehicle. After an intense search operation, police and fire personnel recovered the vehicle and the driver’s body from the river.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), on the other hand, has turned a blind eye to the dilapidated bridge which is the lifeline of people of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts. Sources said on a daily basis, nearly 2,000 mineral-laden trucks use the bridge which was constructed in 1962. These apart, thousands of cars, buses, Hyvas, tractors and two-wheelers also ply on the bridge. Sources said there has been a phenomenal rise in number of vehicles carrying mineral ores to Paradip Port from Joda and Badbil areas of Keonjhar district.

While industries, including Paradip Port Trust (PPT), are earning crores of rupees towards profit by transporting minerals, no one has come forward to repair or maintain the bridge. Locals said since there were no lights or traffic signal, the driver of the ill-fated truck could not have located the road in the dense fog and met with the accident. Moreover, he could have lost balance after trying to avoid a pothole and rammed the vehicle into the concrete frame of the bridge before falling into the river, they said.

Commuters are afraid to use the bridge as portions of guardrails of the bridge have been damaged while concrete slabs on the footpath are also missing, the locals said. Vice-president of Paradip- Kendrapara Industrial Sharmik Sangh Satya Prakash Mohanty said iron rods are protruding from the concrete slabs which pose risk to motorists.

The bridge trembles every time a heavy vehicle passes on it, he said. PPT Chairman Rinkesh Roy said, “There is a proposal to invest `140 crore in construction of a by-pass road from Balijhari to Gate No. 2 of the port to ease traffic congestion on NH-5 (A). Under the plan, truck and bus corridors will be constructed separately for smooth flow of traffic on the NH. PPT has sought intervention of NHAI to expedite this project,” he said. Mohanty warned that if the bridge is not repaired soon, protests will be intensified.