HC notice to state, NHAI over poor condition of Dehra bridge

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today issued a notice to the state government and the Union Ministry of Highways and Road Transport and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over the poor condition of a bridge at Dehra-Gopipur in Kangra district.

The court issued the notice following suo motto proceedings over a news item published in The Tribune on April 21 under headline, ‘Fate of Dehra-Gopipur bridge hangs in balance’.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma took cognizance of the news item and directed the state to file a status report on the bridge at Dehra-Gopipur in Kangra district, which is the lifeline of the area being the main link with plains, and listed the matter for further hearing on May 21.

It was reported in the news that a strategically crucial bridge over the Beas at Dehra-Gopipur in Kangra district was crying for government’s attention. Built by the Punjab Government in 1962 when Kangra was part of the neighbouring state, the bridge was now frail and overburdened. It connects Kangra, Chamba and parts of Mandi to Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and New Delhi.

It was mentioned in the news that at present under the jurisdiction of the National Highways wing of the state Public Works Department (PWD), the bridge had long outlived its life span. Originally designed to handle vehicles carrying five tonnes to 10 tonnes of weight, the bridge was now bearing the burden of heavy trucks and tippers hauling 20 tonnes to 30 tonnes everyday, raising the alarm for a potential disaster. However, despite heavy vehicular pressure, the authorities appeared to be indifferent. No replacement plan was in place at present and there had been no movement towards the construction of a new bridge.

The news item reported that the bridge served as a vital link with neighbouring states and the National Capital and facilitated access to key tourist and religious destinations such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Baijnath, Bir-Billing and revered shrines, including of Jwalaji, Baglamukhi, Brajeshwari and Chamunda Devi. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists travel on this route everyday.

Himachal Tribune