KOHAT: The social and political circles here have demanded of the government to declare the abandoned Khushalgarh steel bridge built in 1905 on the Indus River as a heritage site.

The 0.28-kilometre-long boat suspension bridge was replaced by tons of heavy steel bridge by the British for transportation of weapons and artillery to Afghanistan border against USSR attack threat.

It was a dual track; the lower track used by normal transport and the upper one by railcar.

Khushalgarh village is located at 30 kilometres from Kohat in the east.

The bridge on Indus was built in 1905

It is a small town of 4,000 inhabitants. The nearest town is Gumbat which is going to become a third tehsil of Kohat soon.

The people think that this backward area would also prosper after the site is declared a heritage site and facilities of boating, food and parks are provided there.

The bridge was managed by the Communication and Works Department of Kohat after the Punjab government and railways department refused to take care of it.

A Dak Bungalow (rest house) was also constructed at the picturesque site for the picnickers where government officials would stay during their visits and watch the captivating view of the river and passage of railcar on the bridge. It is also a fishing resort.

The bungalow was demolished a few years ago to make way for the new bridge built by an oil exploration company despite appeals for its preservation. The new concrete bridge provides an alternative route for heavy business to Afghanistan from Punjab whereas transit trade containers come from the south on the Indus Highway, which merge at Kohat where a dual track was being laid up to Kurram Agency.

The steel bridge was declared dangerous for travel in 90s, but due to the tussle between the governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over its ownership another one could not be constructed.

Though it was property of the railways, both the governments would collect tax on its both sides as it was half located in the territory of Punjab and half in KP.

Former governor retired Lt-Gen Iftikhar Hussain Shah once tried to settle the dispute and gathered the local business tycoons at the Circuit House.

He offered them to construct the bridge and get its income for whole life, but they did not agree.

Sources said that the steel bridge would be maintained as it was still considered safe for railway traffic.

The railcar service, which was suspended in 2013, is scheduled to resume by the end of May as had been announced by the prime minister during his visit to Kohat last year.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2017