BAHAWALPUR, Sept 6: The Punjab government is planning to build a bridge over the Panjnad headworks as the

old one had been closed for heavy traffic because of its dilapidated condition, Dawn has learnt.

A meeting of the Punjab secretaries of irrigation and highway departments will be held at the headworks soon to finalise the construction plan.

Panjnad Headworks Executive Engineer Bashir Abbasi, while talking to Dawn, confirmed the temporary closure of the bridge for heavy traffic thus contradicting a statement by the highways executive engineer of Bahawalpur that the bridge was open for heavy

traffic.

Mr Abbasi said the decision to close the bridge for heavy traffic had been taken after reports of dangerous condition of the bridge.

He said according to a count by the department on July 25, 500 heavy vehicles passed through the bridge every day.

He said the patching of ditches on the bridge, costing Rs1 million, would be completed in a month after which the bridge would be opened for heavy traffic.

The old bridge was remodelled in 1980 by the Highway Department to facilitate the increasing flow of traffic.

Due to row over its maintenance between the departments of irrigation and highway and the apathy of the departments, the bridge had been in shambles for the last several months.