Sopore’s old, dilapidated bridge goes up in flames

Baramulla, March 20: A historic bridge in the Chankhan area of Sopore town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district caught fire on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, causing partial damage to the already dilapidated structure.
According to officials, following the incident, the fire was swiftly extinguished, and teams from both the police and civil administration promptly arrived at the scene.
The local residents told Rising Kashmir the bridge was the main connection between Sopore and Baramulla, as well as it was connecting areas of Sopore and Kupwara with Srinagar.
However, it was declared unsafe for traffic in 1999 and was only being used for pedestrian movement until its movement was halted in 2019 when the bridge developed some cracks and one of its pillars collapsed.
The Executive Engineer R&B, Himayun Raina, said that a committee was constituted by the DC Baramulla a few days ago to auction the remnants of the bridge.
“The bridge was already declared unsafe for commuters as it had collapsed. No damage was done in the fire incident. As soon as we receive a nod from the committee constituted by DC Baramulla, we will start working on it and auction the remnants of the bridge,” he added.
He said that as soon as the tenders are ready and a nod from higher-ups, they will float an order for the auction.
When asked why the wood planks of the collapsed bridge were not auctioned since 1999, Raina said that auctioning needs a nod and evaluation from several departments.
“Now a committee has been constituted and once the committee gives the green light, we will auction the wood planks of the Chankhan bridge,” Raina further added.
Locals however alleged that since 1999, the wood planks of the bridge were washed away by the water with authorities not acting on time.
EXEN R&B Himayun Raina however said that the planks washed away were collected from the water by the employees and are safe with the department.
The Station House Officer Sopore, Khalid Fayaz, has refuted any criminal activity behind this incident, stating that the bridge was already deteriorated, with garbage around, and apparently caught fire.
“No miscreants were involved in the incident. Seems someone put a cigarette bit around which led to the fire incident” he added.