Jammu, Dec 29 (PTI) After suffering some damages overthree years ago due to floods, the fourth Tawi bridge,connecting Bhagwati Nagar with Bikram chowk here, is safe,Jammu and Kashmir public works minister Naeem Akhtar said.
However, he directed the PWD department to engage areputed bridge consultant for conducting safety audit anddesigning protection works after the work on the Tawi barrageis completed.
A portion of the approach road and embankment of thebridge on the Tawi was washed away after heavy floods in theriver during September 2014.
The bridge had remained closed for a month and it wasthrown open for traffic only after temporary repair of thedamaged portion.
Akhtar yesterday chaired a meeting to review the stepstaken by the department for strengthening the structure of thebridge and restoration of approaches that were damaged duringthe floods, an official spokesman said today.
Dispelling apprehensions about the safety of the bridge,which was constructed in 2013, the minister assured the publicthat the "bridge is safe and the department is stabilising theminor damages" caused due to floods.
He instructed for getting the hydraulic model study ofthe bridge be done by a pioneer institution for overall bridgestructure and work in consultation with design, inspection andquality control (DIQC) department for taking appropriatemeasures on the technical aspect of the works.
Consequent to the damages, the Chief Minister MehboobaMufti had ordered an inquiry into the construction of thestructure.
The final report presented by the technical committee wasalso discussed in the meeting, the spokesman said.
The department has taken up the stabilising andrestoration works on both the approaches of the bridge and theworks on vulnerable spots on the barrage have been started andwould be completed soon, the spokesman added. PTI TASRCJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.