Heavy vehicles continue to ply on unsafe bailey bridge in Beerwah

Budgam, July 19:  Despite bailey bridge declared unsafe, heavy vehicles continue to utilize the bridge in the main town of Beerwah, located in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.Residents of Beerwah main town informed Rising Kashmir that the Bailey bridge, which spans the Nallah Sukhnag, was also damaged during the floods that struck the Kashmir valley in 2014.”Since the floods in 2014, the bridge has undergone multiple repairs by the R&B department. However, in 2024, it was declared unsafe for heavy vehicles until the government constructs a new bridge over the Nallah Sukhnag,” the locals saidAdvocate Inayat Malik, who practices at the Beerwah court said that the Roads and Buildings department had already prohibited heavy traffic on this bridge in 2024. “Some individuals have vandalized the iron rods installed on both sides, to prevent heavy vehicles from crossing the bridge.””The main plates of the Bailey bridge shift when heavy vehicles pass over it. The department has already deemed it unsafe for heavy vehicles. If heavy vehicles continue to use this bridge, it could collapse at any moment, leading to potential incidents,” Malik saidAdvocate Malik urged drivers of heavy vehicles to refrain from using this bridge, as it has been officially declared unsafe. “If the bridge collapse due to the weight of heavy vehicles and loaded tippers, the Beerwah Tehsil would be cut off from the Budgam district headquarters and its various villages.”The locals have also appealed to the Budgam district administration to address this issue and take necessary actions, as heavy vehicles are still using the bridge on a regular basis.An official from the R & B Division Beerwah said that the bailey have already declared unsafe for the heavy vehicles. “However an amount of Rs 11.37 crores have been sanctioned and  approved by the Government for the construction of the new bridge upon the Nallah Sukhnag into the Beerwah main town.”