By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 11 June: With the monsoon season set to arrive soon, the Uttarakhand Public Works Department (PWD) has now claimed to have finalised extensive preparations to mitigate disruptions caused by heavy rains and landslides, particularly in the hill districts. In a detailed assessment conducted across the state, the department has identified 1,104 roads vulnerable to obstruction during the rainy season and has also claimed to have earmarked 338 alternate routes to ensure the continuity of vehicular movement, even when key roads become impassable due to landslips or flooding.
PWD Head Rajesh Chandra Sharma has shared with the media that 278 earth-moving machines, including JCBs and Poclains, will be deployed across strategic points to promptly clear debris and restore damaged roads, ensuring that rural and urban connectivity remains intact.
The PWD has also conducted a safety audit of bridges across the state. Secretary, PWD, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, has also shared that out of 91 bridges found to be unsafe, 66 have already been repaired and declared safe for public use. The remaining 25 are in various stages of approval for immediate restoration, and necessary sanctions are being issued. In view of the impending monsoon, instructions have been issued to inspect all minor and major bridges across Uttarakhand within the next 15 days. The officials have been directed to submit immediate repair proposals to the government if any bridge is found structurally unsound during these inspections.
Meanwhile, it will be pertinent to remind here that a 2023 report had informed that 39 bridges had collapsed in Uttarakhand over the previous five years, with 27 still in precarious condition. The audit, last conducted in 2022, had also highlighted lapses in geotechnical planning and construction oversight.
Not only this, even the recent developments underscore the urgency of such measures. A Bailey bridge under construction in Chamoli district collapsed into the river just days ago, highlighting the importance of rigorous monitoring and on-site oversight. Although no casualties were reported, the incident reflects the risks inherent in working in geologically fragile terrain.
