The State government has conducted an assessment on the load-bearing capacity of the existing Umiam dam bridge and the scientific report obtained revealed that the bridge can bear the weight of 20 ton vehicles on either side in tandem.
This was informed by Advocate General Amit Kumar to the division bench of the Meghalaya High Court during hearing of the public interest litigation (PIL) on the condition of the bridge.
On the submission by Kumar, the High Court said that it does not have the expertise to go into the veracity of such assessment and left it to the State government to take whatever appropriate measures as may be necessary to ensure that there is sufficient flow in the movement of traffic but at the same time “to ensure that life and property are not endangered in any manner”.
The High Court also said that it does not have the wherewithal to indicate the parameters as to the weight of the vehicles that ought to be allowed to ply and the 10 tons figure was based on the affidavit filed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
“The State says that steps have been taken to invite tenders for bolstering the existing bridge or for carrying out supporting construction which would ensure the longevity of the existing bridge. Since the matter has now received the attention of the court and there are newspaper reports of traffic movement on the relevant bridge being regulated, it is hoped that the State would take necessary further action upon obtaining appropriate advice from experts,” the High Court said.
The court also said that care must also be taken to ensure that the regulation in the movement of goods vehicles on the existing Umiam bridge “is not used as an excuse to inflate prices of essential commodities in the local markets”.
It may be mentioned that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have earlier told the High Court that the Umiam bridge required immediate attention and possibly even a replacement by a more robust construction.
An affidavit was filed on behalf of the BRO indicating that vehicles bearing a total weight in excess of 10 tons should not be allowed to ply over the bridge.
