NEW DELHI: For the first time since independence, the Kasowal enclave in Punjab right along the Pakistan border has got a permanent link with the Indian mainland.
“On 20th April 2020, the Kasowal enclave in Punjab got connected permanently to the mainland when the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened the 484-metre Kasowal permanent bridge much ahead of schedule,” said a BRO official.
The bridge was built by 141 Drain Maintenance Coy of 49 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) of Project Chetak of the BRO at a cost of Rs 17.89 crores excluding the approaches.
The Kasowal enclave of approximately 35 sq km had so far been connected to the rest of India by a pontoon bridge of limited load capacity which was dismantled every year prior to the monsoon, as it would get washed away by the Ravi river. This meant thousands of acres of fertile land across the river could not be utilized by the farmers in the monsoon.
As the land is very fertile, farmers on both sides are tilling right up to the international border. During the two wars of 1965 and 1971, this area saw major duels between the armies of India and Pakistan.
The local population and the Army by virtue of the sensitivity of the enclave required a Class 70 permanent bridge to give all-weather connectivity.
The BRO had planned to open the Kasowal Bridge in time for Vaisakhi so that farmers could transport their harvest to the market comfortably. The work came to a halt on March 23 due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
To ensure locals do not suffer during the harvest season and also to ensure the bridge does not get damaged because of the heavy discharge of water and the tendency of the river to change course in the monsoons, the BRO approached the Punjab government and Gurdaspur district administration to continue the work.
On April 3, BRO officials wrote to the District Commissioner of Gurdaspur, seeking permission to resume construction work on the bridge. On April 10, Lt Gen Harpal Singh, Director General BRO, discussed the matter with the Punjab government and on April 11 the SDM Dera Baba Nanak gave his nod to proceed with the work. The work resumed on 13th April and BRO teams continued the work with all necessary COVID-19 precautions.
To facilitate the shifting of crops, all available resources were diverted and the approach work of the far bank completed in two days. On the first Monday after Vaisakhi, the bridge was opened for the farmers who transported their harvest on tractors to the market.