FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
The closure of an arm of the Atal Setu that was already shut for traffic since August, has been extended as repair work is still being carried on. The excuse given for not completing the work in the given period is unseasonal rains. There has been rain in October and November that was not expected, but is it right to blame the weather for the delay? Consider here that the arm of the bridge was closed during the monsoons season – in August – so if the rains were to have a delaying effect on the repairs, why was work started when there was still a month and a half of rains expected?
The Public Works Department Minister has rejected allegations that there are major flaws with the bridge though this is not the first time that part of the bridge has been closed for repairs. He explains it as being maintenance work, issues with the carpet area which are being fixed, with the assurance that after the work has been completed the bridge ‘will be perfect’. The bridge, opened in January 2019 is not even three years old and should have been perfect even without the repair or maintenance work that is being currently undertaken. That there is such repair work on just 30 months after it was throw open, is an indication that the bridge is far from perfect.
The government and the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), the agency under whose watch the bridge project was taken up, have been playing down the issue of repairs, calling it mere maintenance. The reason for the closure of the arm, given in August this year, was that potholes have been occurring during the monsoon but that these are not related to the quality of the work. GSIDC had gone on to state that this is a failure of bonding of the bitumen and water proofing layers. They had even gone on to state that since the potholes occurred during the monsoon, it could be due to the proximity of the bridge to the coast, the climatic conditions and incessant rains.
Even the layman will agree that these appear to be mere excuses from the authorities. It is hard to believe that a bridge built at the cost of over Rs 830 crore did not take into account the weather and the nearness of the structure to the coast. If it is so, then there was a complete planning failure and it is GDISC and the builder who have to be taken to task on this account. There can be no excuse and the government must also come out with a white paper on the condition of the bridge. It is not yet three years old and it is already being closed for months for repair work. This does not repose confidence that the bridge will last for long.
Interestingly, the Minister also chose to emphasise that the bridge is in good condition and that it has a guarantee of 100 years. A hundred years may appear to be a long period, but just below this modern bridge is the Ribandar causeway that is four centuries old, built for bullock and horse cart traffic, but still standing strong with only minor signs of stress being shown despite the heavy traffic that runs over it. A portion of the Ribandar causeway sunk some weeks earlier, but this was purely due to neglect. If a bridge built some 400 years ago can withstand the vagaries of time and nature, and take on an additional load, why can’t a bridge that is not even three years old? Can the government give an answer to this question?
