More than two weeks have passed since Benglauru’s Varthur bridge started shaking, causing panic among motorists. The bridge is vital as it connects Varthur with Whitefield. BBMP, however, is yet to start repair work.
As a temporary measure, traffic police have placed a ban on heavy vehicles crossing the bridge, as was recommended by a panel of experts on June 1.
Although, residents say that the police have been doing a good job of stopping heavy vehicles from getting onto the bridge, there have been occasions, where trucks having gotten onto it.
“The repair work has not started, at least we can’t see or are aware of. We are told they are looking out for contractors. For now, they (police) have banned trucks on the bridge. I have personally seen police on both sides of the bridge stopping heavy vehicles on a daily basis. I have heard the same from my colleagues,” Nooraine Fazal, a local resident told TNM.
But other commuters feel that the police action has not been sufficient. Sukesh, who commutes from Varthur Police Station side to Yamlur, claimed that every now and then there are trucks which slip through during odd hours.
“There won’t be any truck from morning 8am to evening 8pm usually. But there are times when there are no police to stop the trucks,” he said.
Another commuter, Raghu echoed the same. He even posted a video of a trucks getting on the bridge at around 7am on June 3.
But a constable at the Whitefield Traffic Police Station claimed that the bridge is being manned 24x7.
@bjparvind ji Saturday I found even there is a cop at varthur Kodi junction he allowed heavy goods vehicle by taking bribe. M posting this to ur notice sir. @blrcitytraffic need to answer for it. pic.twitter.com/P0R8bFU8PE
— Raghu.BS (@RaghuBS2) June 3, 2018
Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj had earlier assured motorists that the bridge would be repaired by the first week of June. But BBMP now claims that the repairs would take until the third week of July to be completed.
BBMP Chief Engineer for Major Roads S Somasekhar admitted that the work had been getting delayed. He blamed it on the lack of availability of specialised tools and man power required for this specific task. He assured the public that work would start rolling before the end of the week.
“We have drafted all the necessary actions. Tests have been conducted. Work is going on very slowly as there is a need for highly specialised skilled labourers. All of these are being arranged. Moreover, there are tools like milling machines which we don’t have in Bengaluru. There are many specialised processes these are not ordinary labour works, so we need specialised labour in batches,” S Somasekhar said defensively.