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Pilibhit News: The continuous delay in the construction of the pontoon bridge built every year on the Sharda River in Pilibhit has raised many questions. Local people allege that either the administration is kind to the contractors or the work is being deliberately postponed due to collusion with the boat operators. Due to non-construction of pontoon bridge, the general public is facing huge problems.
Pilibhit: People living across the Sharda River flowing through Pilibhit district of UP, commute by boat for more than 8 months in a year. Although the due date for construction of pontoon bridge on Sharda River is 15th October, but due to poor system, almost every year this temporary bridge is not operational till the month of January. It is noteworthy that thousands of people are settled across the Sharda river in Pilibhit district.
People of Trans Sharda area have two options to reach the district headquarters. First, the pontoon bridge built on the Sharda river or the road route via Palia town of Kheri district, but the road route is about 100 kilometers longer than the bridge. In such a situation, most of the people choose to travel via Pantoon Bridge. When the water level of Sharda River remains high due to rain in the mountains, the effects of floods are seen in the areas adjacent to the river. In view of this, the pontoon bridge is removed.
This year, this bridge was completely removed on June 15 due to the increased water level of Sharda River. According to the instructions of the government, this bridge was to be reopened on October 15, but the construction process of this bridge is still going on under the protection of the sluggish system. Considering the slow pace with which the construction of the Pantoon Bridge is going on, there is almost zero hope of its completion in the year 2025.
What is the benefit of making the bridge late?
This is not the first time that there has been a delay in the construction of the temporary bridge on the Sharda River, almost every year the bridge is constructed only in December or January. A departmental source, on the condition of anonymity, said that this delay is caused by various twists and turns in the construction of this bridge to reduce the operational costs of the contractor and for boat operations. It is noteworthy that in the absence of a bridge, people travel only by boat. Although local people are also given free boat lollipops, but due to limited number of boats, this too is hampered by chaos.
Same story every year
It is noteworthy that due to the rise in the water level of Sharda River, the pontoon bridge built on the river is removed every year. Sometimes, due to increase in water level other than floods, traffic on this bridge is stopped. The process of rebuilding the bridge takes place every year. Talking about last year, this bridge was built with a delay of 100 days.
