RAWALPINDI: Though the Punjab Caretaker Minister for Primary Health Dr Jamal Nasir had given a three-day deadline to the National Highway Authority (NHA) to repair Soan Bridge, collapsed in a landslide caused by heavy downpour on June 27, the bridge was still lying unrepaired.

During his visit to the site the very next day on June 28, Mr Nasir, who belonged to Rawalpindi, was given a detailed briefing about the bridge. During the briefing the minister had directed the NHA and other authorities to complete the repair work of the bridge within three days by July 1.

Mr Nasir was also informed by the NHA officials that an 18 inches diameter water pipeline laid on the bridge by Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) should be removed as like previous two occasions it can burst anytime.

The caretaker minister had promised to convey the concern of NHA regarding the water pipeline to Wasa managing director. Two weeks have passed since Dr Jamal Nasir had visited the site but the repair work on the bridge has not been completed.

Mr Jamal had also disclosed that Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi was fully aware of the public’s problems and he was making efforts towards solving problems according to his mandate.

However, a senior official of NHA said that the Frontier Work Organisation who is executing the repair work had been given a deadline of Aug 20, 2023 to complete the repair work prior to educational activities begin and Lahore High Court Rawalpindi starts working after summer vacation.

He said there were two options – one a temporary arrangement of erecting a bailey bridge and the other one a permanent solution, so it was decided to go for a permanent solution by repairing the bridge.

Since the bridge has collapsed, light traffic has been diverted to a single bridge, which has created a traffic mess on the road where a vehicle takes an hour to cover one kilometer distance.

The pile and girder of the under construction Soan Bridge collapsed. The traffic congestion on the road is causing problems to commuters.

Some of the residents of housing societies located near Rawat have been considering shifting to other parts of the city to avoid crossing Soan Bridge as they fear that their school going children will be facing problems in reaching their educational institutions on time as the road and traffic situation is worsening day by day.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2023