HYDERABAD: While the around 400-year-old Puranapul stands tall amid the heavy rains and a Musi in spate, cracks in the newer bridge parallel to the heritage structure has created panic among locals. Videos circulated on Monday morning showing cracks in the bridge’s pillars after which traffic police closed the bridge. In the afternoon, GHMC Engineer-in-Chief (Projects) R Sreedhar and Chief Engineer Mohammed Ziauddin inspected the bridge which is around 30 years old. The bridge was then reopened, but only for light vehicles.
Explaining the problem with the bridge in question, a senior official said that the concrete around the reinforcement iron mesh had weakened over time. “There is no reason to be alarmed. The rainfall in the past few weeks and the polluting fumes from the Musi river over time have contributed to the deterioration. This can be easily mitigated,” the official said.
Right next to the modern bridge, lies the Puranapul, the first bridge to be constructed in Hyderabad in 1578. Although its upkeep has been neglected over decades, this 600-feet long bridge still stands tall despite several natural disasters or an increasingly toxic Musi. INTACH Hyderabad convenor P Anuradha Reddy said, “Puranapul is the only bridge in Hyderabad to have escaped destruction in the 1908 floods. It is in very good condition structurally. This shows the commitment of the builders and the kind of materials they used.”
Only light vehicles
Bahadurpura traffic police SHO Chandra Kumar said, “Officials inspected the bridge and said that it could be opened for light vehicles. They said that there are some issues, and as a precautionary measure heavy vehicles should not be allowed for the time being.”