JAMMU: Unhappy over the slow pace of repairs on an important bridge over the Tawi river in Jammu city, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday ordered an inquiry into the construction of the structure whose portions had collapsed twice during floods.
Mehbooba instructed the Commissioner Secretary Works, Rohit Kansal to order the probe while inspecting the ongoing repair at the washed-out portion of the fourth Tawi bridge here.
“You should order an inquiry about various aspects of the bridge,” the Chief Minister told the official, flagging collapse of a portion of the structure due to poor construction work and design.
Portions of the 750-meter long bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs 147 crore and thrown open for traffic in 2013, were washed away twice in flash floods in 2014 and June 2016.
The bridge was closed for traffic after the second instance of collapse and reopened for one-way traffic in September this year but work to complete the portion is still going on.
The State government had been under attack over frequent traffic snarls in Jammu city due to closure of the important bridge for over 3 months that has drawn protests from various groups. In November 2014, the State Vigilance Commission had ordered an inquiry into the washing away and collapse of a portion of the bridge.
The complaint alleged use of sub-standard material in the construction of the bridge and also siphoning off of funds meant for it.
“The inquiry has also been ordered into the alleged disproportionate assets possessed by these officers,” an SVC handout said then.
The bridge was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, on May 17, 2013.
A portion of the approach road of the bridge was washed away after heavy floods in the Tawi during September 2014.
The bridge had remained closed for a six-month period then.
Stating that delays in the completion of developmental works in the state would not be tolerated, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday directed the officers and executing agencies to complete the ongoing projects within the scheduled time to avoid the overrun of cost and time.
The Chief Minister visited the proposed City Chowk parking project and took on the spot appraisal of the works being carried out.
She was informed that work on the project was going swiftly and the facility was likely to be completed by early next year.
She enquired about the relocation of some nearby utilities and directed expediting the same.
Mehbooba also visited the multitier parking project at Bus Stand here where she was informed that the Rs 201 crore project would have first three floors reserved for parking of around 1,300 vehicles and 1,700 two-wheelers, while as the fourth and fifth floor would have commercial activity centres like restaurants, shops among others.
The Chief Minister also visited the Rs 77.50 crore flyover coming up at Bikram Chowk and took stock of its completion.
She also directed the agencies concerned to sort out the issues regarding the project completion and not let it get delayed.
At the artificial lake being developed at River Tawi, the Chief Minister was informed that the gates are ready and the project would also be completed by early next year.
She was informed that protection works on one side of the river have been completed and on the other side would be taken up in first week of December.
At the upcoming Nikki Tawi bridge, Mehbooba was informed that the seven-span bridge being built with latest construction technology would be ready by March next year.
Four spans have been laid and the rest three would be laid in coming months, she was told by officials at the site.
The bridge is being constructed to connect 25 villages which were cut off from the main city in the floods of last year.
The Chief Minister also inspected the Jammu airport expansion site and enquired about the status of the project.
She was informed that after the expansion, the area of the airport would spread to 30,000 sq ft with 3,000 passengers per hour capacity.
Mehbooba later visited the site of proposed 200-bedded maternity hospital at Gandhi Nagar where she was briefed by Minister for Health and Medical education Bali Bhagat about the status of the project.
Being built as one of the associated hospitals of Government Medical College in Jammu, the Rs 50 crore project is expected to be ready by June 2017.
The Chief Minister also visited the cable car project in the city and inspected the works there.
She was informed that the civil works at the project would be completed by July 2017 and the project would be completed by early 2018.