Sher nullah bus accident: PWD proposes Rs 11-crore bridge

Two days ago, 28 bus passengers, going from Haldwani to Tanakpur, had a close shave after the bus they were travelling in was washed away in the rain-swelled Sher nullah before Chorgaliya.

Locals said the situation would not have occurred had the government built a bridge on the nullah, which they been demanding for a long time. “The nullah has claimed many lives in the past three years,” said Pan Singh Mewadi, a resident of Chorgaliya, emphasising on the need for a bridge on it.

Ranjeet Rawat, the chief engineer of Public Works Department (PWD), said that the department has submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the state government in July for a Rs 11-crore bridge on Sher nullah. “We have (also) applied for the forest related clearances and would be getting them soon,” he said, adding that the bridge construction would begin after the DPR gets clearance.

Rawat said the Methi Shah nullah near Kaladhungi, which also gives trouble to the commuters during monsoon, will also have a bridge soon. “The construction work (on Methi Shah nullah) is slated to begin in October,” he added.

The water level in Sher nullah, which lies near the forest area adjoining Nandhaur, often rises during monsoon, as the rainwater from surrounding forests and hills flows into it. The nullah falls on the busy highway between Haldwani and Sitarganj. When the Sher nulllah swells during the rainy season, the highway traffic gets affected.

There have also several fatal mishaps on the stretch. In 2016, a woman travelling in a bus from Sitarganj to Haldwani was killed when the bus overturned in the gushing nullah. In 2017, two brothers, residents of Banbhulpura area of Haldwani, were killed when their car was swept away in the nullah. Their bodies were never found.

First Published: Aug 01, 2018 22:35 IST