Jalpaiguri (West Bengal):The Karla Bridge - an important bridge in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri town that connects the main town of Siliguri - is in bad need of repair. Due to heavy downpour, cracks have reportedly developed on the bridge, raising a question mark on the quality of work undertaken.
Poor maintenance has allegedly made the bridge accident-prone According to sources, poor maintenance has allegedly made the bridge accident-prone. Local residents have seen several accidents taking place on the structure of the bridge in the past.
Re built-in 1970 after a catastrophic flood, the structure demands immediate repair work, agreed most of the local residents.
After the matter came to light, the local public of the region has expressed their apprehensions and raised questions on the quality of works undertaken while constructing the bridge.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, a local resident, Ajay Saha said, “The bridge is the lifeline for lakhs of people in Jalpaiguri area. As we see the repair works are not been undertaken, we fear passing over the bridge. The Public Works Department had expressed concern over the bridge eight or nine months ago but in such a situation, no one is taking responsibility for the bridge.”
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"As the bridge now needs repair, it has exposed the poor quality of work and also created fear among the people who use it on a daily basis. Although there is a bridge in the day market of the city, heavy vehicles and passenger vehicles could not cross that bridge. As a result, the pressure is high on this bridge adjacent to Teesta Udyan. We want the administration to check the condition of this," Saha said.
On the other hand, the concerned authorities have said that the damage needs repair work and will complete it after the official inspection.
"Concerning the Karla bridge issue, public works department and police officials examined the situation. Engineers have expressed concern about this. In the last few days, the Karla river has blossomed due to heavy rains in Jalpaiguri. following this, cracks have reportedly developed on the bridge. There is nothing to worry and it can be resolved within a few days. After the inspection, we will start repairing the bridge," a PWD official said.
An engineer of the Municipality, Saikat Chatterjee, expressed concern after visiting the Karla Bridge adjacent to Teesta Udyan.
He said, "There is nothing to worry with the bridge of Dinbazar but this Karla bridge adjacent to Teesta Udyan has developed cracks. The opinion of the engineers of the Public Works Department is being sought in this regard. For now, I am talking to the police administration thinking about public safety. However, it is necessary to find out who is responsible for the maintenance of the bridge."
