A new direction: Bara River bridge, a suspended reality

PESHAWAR:

The Bara River bridge that collapsed in May on PAF Road has not been reconstructed yet and the issue has become a problem, more so because the route connected Bara Road to Kohat Road and was frequented by many.

Talking to The Express Tribune, locals said repair work on the bridge has not started although quite some time has passed since it collapsed and the road is an important one.

“It was a shortcut between Bara Road and Kohat Road and there are dozens of villages along the way,” said one local, Rahamdad Khan. He added pedestrians can cross the river as the irrigation department filled it with large stones but it is of no use to vehicular traffic.

Where’s the action?

“We thought PTI would bring change but no one has taken any action against the irrigation department which was responsible for the maintenance of this bridge,” he said. “At least one boy is still missing; his body has not been fished out of the river.”

Another local, Fahim Khan, said two or three people drowned at the same spot during the annual floods, but no attention has been given to the issue.

“The irrigation department should be taken to task for the loss of lives and secondly, someone should be made responsible for the delay in the reconstruction of the bridge,” added Fahim.

“The irrigation department official told us the bridge would take two years to build and till then the route will be of little use to people.”

Locals demanded the bridge be constructed by the government sooner than the rumoured timeframe and its responsibility should be handed over to the local government or any other authority but the irrigation department.

They complained that irrigation officials do not seem to take the maintenance of bridges seriously.

Several attempts were made to contact the irrigation department and information ministry for comments on the issue but to no avail. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2015.