GUJRAT: The construction of a temporary steel and wooden bridge over the Karianwala storm water drain is almost complete and it is likely to be opened for light traffic in two days.
The concrete bridge over the drain had crumbled on July 3. It was the sole link for around 100 villages surrounding Karianwala, Tanda, Jalalpur Jattan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to reach Gujrat district. Consistent rains in the last week had severely damaged the bridge that according to highway officials had been built with substandard material in 1990.
The district government had announced to construct a temporary bridge with a steel frame and wooden planks within a week. Now only the planks had to be laid and the work was likely to be completed by Tuesday and the bridge opened for light traffic by Wednesday.
Gujrat District Coordination Officer Liaquat Ali Chattha and PML-N MPA Nawabzada Haider Mehdi approached the chief minister’s office for approval of funds to construct a new concrete bridge at the site.
An inquiry into the alleged substandard construction of the Karianwala bridge was also ordered by the district government.
Published in Dawn, July 8th , 2014