Gadchiroli April 29 (District Correspondent) A huge fissure has appeared on the new bridge constructed across the Wainganga River near village Ashti in Chamorshi taluka located on the Chandrapur–Gadchiroli National Highway, at a cost of approximately ₹210 crore even before it the bridge could be inaugurated and opened to traffic.
The substandard quality of the bridge’s construction has raised serious concerns regarding public safety and the large-scale misuse of the public money, negligence of the concerned officers and the public representatives in a serious matter like bridge.
Efforts are currently underway by the government to smooth out the roads in the district—ostensibly to facilitate the transportation of minerals. In this process, however, the lives of ordinary citizens are being jeopardized. The incident involving this bridge clearly illustrates that compromises are being made regarding the quality of roadworks—be it on the National Highway or other district roads—despite the fact that the State Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, himself is the Guardian Minister for Gadchiroli district.
The appearance of a large, deep pothole on a bridge that was completed just a few months ago has created an atmosphere of fear among the citizens. Ashti Chandrapur is an important highway on which hundreds of vehicles ply every day. On the background of the opening of the mines at Surjagad and steel industry at Konsari, the vehicular traffic on this highway has increased manyfold.
Significantly, the fact that the bridge has deteriorated to such a state even before its official inauguration and dedication ceremony has raised serious questions regarding the functioning of the Public Works Department, the National Highway Authority, and the concerned engineers. Despite the serious issue, the administration appears to be making attempts to shield the contractors involved.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mahendra Brahmanwade, President of the Gadchiroli District Congress Committee, has demanded a high-level inquiry into this matter and called for strict action against the concerned contractors and officials. Calling for criminal action against the guilty parties, Bramhanwade has also demanded for a technical audit to be conducted to assess the structural quality of the bridge.
The huge pothole on the newly constructed bridge has not only exposed the contractor’s malpractices and negligence on the part of the engineers, but has created an atmosphere of panic among the travellers. It has become a matter of hot discussion in the district.
Even though, the repair of this pothole has been started by the concerned contractor, the doubt is raised over the entire construction quality of the bridge itself. If a huge pothole can develop on the surface within a few months of the construction, what could be the quality of the construction, it is being asked by the people.
