NT NETWORK
PANAJI
In what can be called a blatant violation of safety norms, the public works department (PWD) authorities have said that they do not maintain centralised database on the weak infrastructure in the state like bridges and culverts, which could be damaged or even collapse due to the heavy rain showers lashing the state.
There is no record available with the PWD to ascertain the bridges and culverts, which are in danger and need urgent attention.
The collapse of an 88-year-old bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway has come as a reminder of the price we might have to pay for not having a consolidated database on the state’s infrastructural projects like roads, bridges and culverts for the safety of the people.
When the reporter of this daily tried to gather information on the number of bridges and culverts that need urgent repairs or need to be reconstructed, top officials of the roads, bridges and national highway division of the PWD and the monitoring and evaluation cell passed the buck by stating that they do not maintain a centralised database of the number of culverts and bridges based on their safety for the use of motorists.
“We do not have centralised data. It is up to the works division to maintain the records as they have records of the number of culverts and small bridges that have been constructed in their jurisdiction. There are altogether 25 works divisions across the state,” a senior PWD official said.
There is a need for the PWD to carry out mapping of bridges and other infrastructure and then compiling the details, which may include the year of construction, and schedule for rehabilitation and repair or maintenance in a consolidated database. While stating about the weak structures in the capital city, the official mentioned a culvert on the 18th June Road near RDA office that has deteriorated over the last four decades with corroded steel dangling loose from the eroded concrete. The steel rods of the bridge have corroded and may dismantle any time as the concrete holding them together has fallen off.
