Repair of ancient overhead bridge in limbo

The repair work on the 118-year-old overhead railway bridge near Transit Camp Chowk could not not begin even after the passing of a month.

The administration of Pakistan Railways (PR) had declared the ancient bridge extremely dangerous and conditioned the reopening of the bridge with road repair. However, the matter of repairing the road passing through the bridge has since been pending between the PR and the administration of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) while the residents of the area are facing serious problems due to the demarcation dispute between the two institutions.

A senior PR officer told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the overhead bridge was badly affected due to passing of heavy traffic in August this year. Subsequently, it was closed for general traffic due to the breakage of the central iron plate in the bridge.

In this regard, the PR divisional engineer sent several letters to the RCB administration to convince them that though the overhead bridge affected by heavy traffic is the PR property but the road passing over it is the property of RCB, whose repair and maintenance was its responsibility.

The engineer also made it clear in the letters that opening the bridge for general traffic before complete repairs could be very dangerous and hasty repairs could lead to a major disaster, but the RCB administration did not take any steps for the construction of the road.

“It has, therefore, been decided that the bridge will be kept closed until the road passing through it is repaired,” the senior office explained.

He added that to close the bridge for normal traffic, concrete beams were installed on both sides of the road which the citizens removed on their own and started riding motorcycles on the damaged road, which could be extremely dangerous.

On the other hand, the citizens demanded that efforts should be made to explain to both the administrative bodies that this bridge holds much importance in the movement of the common people. Millions of people including public transport, ambulances, school pick and drop vans use this bridge to enter the cantonment area from the city. Citizens said that more than a month has passed since the bridge was closed for traffic, leaving the businesses in all areas connected to the overhead bridge badly affected. They said owing to the closure of the bridge for public travel, the traders are facing serious problems.

Meanwhile, RCB Chief Executive Officer Imran Gulzar said that the PR administration has been given several replies, stating that the road passing through the affected bridge is not the property of the RCB but of the PR, but considering the concerns of the citizens, the matter is now being raised before the provincial government, so that funds can be made available through an MNA or MPA and the road can be repaired making way for reopening of the bridge for the citizens.

.Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2022.