Himachal Pradesh: Residents of several panchayats of Kupvi sub-tehsil in Shimla are facing inconvenience as they have to use a dilapidated bridge that connects the villages to Chaupal, Rohru, Sirmaur and Uttarakhand state. “The bridge has completely fallen into disrepair and people are using it to travel as well as to carry fruits, vegetables and other goods to other parts of the state, putting their lives at risk,” said Lokendra Chauhan, a local resident. “The Public Works Department (PWD) had closed the bridge for heavy vehicles about two months ago, but some heavy vehicles are still plying on it as the alternative route is quite long,” he said.
He further said that locals had raised their concerns about the poor condition of the bridge and demanded its repair or replacement, but no action has been taken yet. Babita Sharma, Pradhan of Juddu Shilal Gram Panchayat, said that the bridge is extremely important for a large number of people in terms of connectivity to several places and transportation of their produce. “The bridge is in a very bad and dangerous condition. The department should repair it without wasting time.” PWD sub-divisional officer Babu Ram Sharma said the government has given approval to replace the bridge and the work will be completed soon. “The Bailey bridge will be replaced soon. If people provide us some land, we will build a bridge there, otherwise we will have to remove the existing bridge,” he said.
