How long should people suffer more after the devastating floods of 2014 wrecked havoc on them? How long will the task of rebuilding the devastated structures, houses, Government buildings, bridges, culverts etc take to remove the traces of flood. Three years have gone by, what was pledged would be rebuilt if floods had washed it away, have yet to see the task either begun or completed. Shopian – Bhatpora Bridge in Shopian tehsil over the Rambiar nullah was one among the victims of the fury of flood of 2014. People of at least 30 villages located around the bridge site are affected by the collapsed bridge.
The R&B Department has made make shift arrangement which is in place for last three years. People are facing hardships and whenever the nullah runs wild people are forced to make a long detour to cross it and reach the other side as collapsed bridge has made connectivity highly complicated and difficult for the local people.
R&B authorities say that Phase I of the bridge is likely to be completed in next one or two months. But they have hinted at another disappointing aspect of the bridge. According to the Chief Engineer completion of Phase I of the bridge makes little sense because unless other two phases are completed, there is little meaning of building this bridge. It has a long span of 360 meters and completing bridging of just 80 meters makes little sense. We are at a loss what to make out of it. Did not the planners originally know that all the 360 meters have to be given bridge cover otherwise doing it in piecemeal is futile and without sense. We would like the R&B authorities to come out with a clear statement as to what is the plan of building the bridge over the entire span of 360 meters and how many more years will it take to be brought to completion.
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