The repeated washing away of temporary culverts constructed adjacent to the damaged Tarnah Nallah Bridge, in a bid to restore traffic on NH-44, has raised significant concerns regarding the competence of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). Despite the dedicated endeavours of this ‘premier' agency, all attempts have thus far proven ineffective. This has dashed the hopes of the residents of Kathua, Samba, and Jammu districts, who had anticipated that the fifth endeavour by the national highways agency, responsible for the construction of roads, bridges, and tunnels, would yield positive results. Unfortunately, the incessant rains in the catchment area triggered flash floods, dashing the aspirations of daily commuters and travellers who rely on this vital highway—equally crucial for defence supply routes.
No one expected that the damage to the Bridge over Tarnah Nallah would paralyse the traffic movement through it for so long. The incident has caused a severe problem and inconvenience to the commuters due to the National Highway going out of service. On the contrary, the NHAI and the Private Contractor managing on behalf NHAI did not relent over the compulsive charging of the Toll Levies on Toll Plaza without providing the appropriate road.
With five failed attempts, people seem to have gone restless as crossing this small stretch has become a cumbersome job as commuters have to travel extra miles and confront hours long traffic snarls on account of narrow and dilapidated border road which is currently used for clearing traffic.
For sure, the rebuilding of this bridge and alternate culvert construction are no less than a litmus test for the aforesaid authorities. The fact that there have been five unsuccessful endeavours to raise a culvert narrates a disheartening story about the competency of NHAI personnel. It is dissuading that one of the premier agencies of the country doesn't have plan B or C to tackle the situation as reportedly its men are repeating the model of the culvert despite the earlier models collapsing as it could not withstand the adverse weather conditions.
The monotonous approach of NHAI in the matter has reportedly drained over Rs 1 crore and it is likely that more exchequer will go in vain if the engineers not change the design and approach because after monsoon, the retrieving monsoon also wreaks havoc in the region, at times till late September, thus making it really tedious for the concerned authorities to make traffic through by making a viaduct which has the capacity to resist the force applied by frequent flash floods in the aforesaid Nallah.
It is need of the hour to either change the design of the culvert making adequate modifications to give way to excess water or simply change the engineering staff stationed at this spot replacing the same with more competent and efficient one, who can bail out the people and the NHAI from this difficulty as under present circumstances things have become sodden with the way out not coming to sight in near future.
Since the extraction of toll charges have been continuing despite resentments and protests, the situation may worsen in coming days as the government has refused to accept the simple rationale behind the deficiency of services and the public in no mood to bow before the hegemony of the Administration.
