Shimla, August 03: The recent cloudburst and floods have caused extensive damage across the state, in response to which the government has announced to replace 17 bridges that have collapsed or are significantly damaged with Bailey bridges. Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh has issued directions to prioritise the repair and replacement of these critical infrastructure, with special attention to roads in apple-rich areas.
To meet the immediate needs of the affected areas, dozers and JCBs have been deployed to clear debris and repair roads. For areas where roads are severely damaged and cannot be repaired quickly, alternate routes are being established. The state government has also mandated daily reports from the concerned department to monitor the progress of these efforts.
Learning from last year’s disaster, the government had already procured Bailey bridges, which were stored at the regional level. These bridges will now be distributed to the worst-affected districts, including Shimla, Mandi and Kullu. Public Works Department engineers will first inspect the damaged bridges to determine whether they can be repaired or installation of Bailey bridges is necessary.
Minister Vikramaditya Singh confirmed that the department has suffered losses of over Rs 300 crore due to the recent natural disasters. The destruction of roads and bridges has significantly disrupted daily life, especially in remote and agricultural areas. Singh stressed that wherever bridges have collapsed, Bailey bridges will be installed as quickly as possible to restore connectivity.
The following bridge collapses have been reported: a 34-metre long bridge over Kurpan Khad on Nor to Wazir Bawdi road at Bagipul, a 25-metre long bridge on Nor to Wazir Bawdi road, a 48-metre long bridge on Avera Ghatu Kedas road and a 30-metre long bridge at Bagipul. The highest number of bridge collapses have been reported in Kullu district, especially Nirmand, where nine bridges have been damaged or destroyed. 455 roads have been affected across the state, some of which have been completely destroyed. However, the department has successfully restored more than 100 roads to traffic.
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