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The defunct 'hot mix plant' located at the State Stadium in Dimapur. (EM Images)[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, April 20 (EMN): The minister for Public Works Department (PWD) Tongpang Ozukum along with PWD officials inspected works on public connectivity infrastructure that the department had been undertaking over the past few months in Dimapur on April 20.
The inspection included bridges which have not only deteriorated and broken but neglected as well.
Bailey bridge: Inspecting the construction of a Bailey bridge over Chathe River, Ozukum informed that the work has been going on since October 2017 and a period of 18 months had been stipulated for completion. “A temporary bridge is being constructed for vehicular movement which will be completed approximately in two weeks,” the minister informed.
Balijan bridge: Another neglected bridge that was inspected was the one located in Balijan on the Nuiland road. It was informed that the bridge was washed away during the previous monsoons and no fund allocated for reconstruction. “We are planning to change the course of the river and lay out the new bridge,” Ozukum informed. A temporary bridge will be constructed for now, and once land acquisition rates are negotiated with the villages, construction of a new bridge will be possible, according to PWD officials.
Nagarjan ‘Kuda’ bridge: The team also inspected the Nagarjan ‘Kuda’ bridge over Dhansiri River which has been of concern lately for the public. News on social media platforms have been doing the rounds of its collapse due to the cracks caused by heavy rain and heavy flow of the Dhansiri River. Ozukum informed that the same contractor for the construction of Bailey bridge is also the contractor appointed for the ‘Kuda’ bridge. “The contractor has initiated the work since October 2017 without being sanctioned a single penny and for that we are grateful,” he said. When asked about the safety of commuters on the bridge, Ozukum appealed to the citizens not to “ply” on the bridge as the risk will not be borne by the department. Executive Engineer Talitemsu Jamir also added that it is the duty of the district administration to come up with a solution to avert a major disaster. “There is no alternative but to construct another bridge as soon as possible since it is a major lifeline for Dimapur citizens,” added Ozukum.
Hot mix plant at State Stadium: Sub Divisional officer (SDO), Dhansiri informed that the machine used for mixing the materials for road construction has been dysfunctional for a ‘few nights’. “We have been tirelessly trying to fix the machine and right now we are manually mixing the materials which take a lot of time and quantity produced also is less,” he informed. In high contrast when the hot mix plant is used, it is said to produce two truck-loads in 90 minutes. The SDO also informed that sub-standard materials are not used for the mixing and guaranteed that only materials recognised by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) are used.
Ozukum reiterated that a total INR 50 cr. has been allotted for the project. The allotted fund has been divided into two phases for the entire state. Out of which INR 11 cr. has been allotted to Dimapur and Kohima for phase one.
“A total of 12,080 km will be covered by the PWD department in road maintenance and repair in the state,” said an official.
