SHILLONG, JULY 29: Power Minister AT Mondal on Monday informed that the Umiam Bridge will be opened both ways starting from tomorrow.
He said the decision was taken at a meeting of the HPC chaired by Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong.
“It has been decided that from tomorrow onwards, the bridge will be opened both ways and this would be only restricted to as per the earlier order restricted to only 4 metric tons of vehicles not above the 4 MT. There will be further notification later on and when that notification will come, I will call you again and explain the situation. So this is the present situation as far as the status of the Umiam Bridge is concerned,” Mondal said.
He informed that the decision was taken after the retrofitting works for the Umiam Bridge has been completed.
The minister said as far the dam is concerned; almost all the works on the top surface is completed. “But still we need to go for grouting in the bridge portion but that will not hamper the movement of the traffic,” he said while informing that the entire cost for work comes to around Rs 19.9 crore.
Mondal said that a permanent barrier will be put up to ensure heavy vehicles with certain heights cannot ply over the Umiam bridge.
“We are seized with the allegations and we are not turning away (from our responsibility) that there may be chances of that (heavy vehicles getting to ply after paying some money). That is why a permanent barrier will be put so that it will be automatically be restricted,” he said. He said that “PWD has been entrusted to find out ways and means to put permanent barricade so that the heavy vehicles cannot enter the bridge and moreover our Dam is the most important thing as of now to safeguard its safety and we have installed CCTV cameras.”
Asked, he said, “We all know the lifespan of the bridge is almost expired. With this and if the load restriction is there, you can say we have added another 2 decades into its life but we should be very strict in that,” he said.
He also informed that the department will come up with some relaxation within a week’s time after when the full proof barrier is in place.
The minister informed that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has been entrusted to find an alternative route and they are working on it.
“Whatever you say government has decided that an alternative route bypassing this bridge will be in place as early as possible but it is not an easy work. One we have got to find out the alignment and negotiate and see how land position is there but department PWD is on the job,” he added.