Vital Footbridge Over Chenab River In Jammu Kashmir’s Doda Cries For Attention

Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh said this bridge was declared unsafe long ago, and the concerned authorities have been asked to check its safety.

Jammu: The lives of hundreds of people living across the Chenab River in the Prem Nagar area of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district seem to be in danger, as the footbridge over the river has been declared unsafe for the movement of people in large numbers at a time.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has recommended allowing only two people at a time to cross the bridge, and loaded mules have been prohibited from crossing through the cable-stayed wooden bridge.

Built in 1966, this wooden bridge used to cater to thousands of people living in Prem Nagar, Gundna, Breswana, Mahla and other areas till the time alternate road connectivity from other areas, including a motorable concrete bridge, was constructed in the Shiva Dul area near Mahla.

Vital Footbridge Over Chenab River In Jammu Kashmir’s Doda Cries For Attention (ETV Bharat)

But still, hundreds of people living around Prem Nagar and adjoining villages use this footbridge for their daily routine. Scores of schoolchildren, officials of the zonal education office, Gundna, and the local population commute through this bridge every day.

“It is a quite old wooden bridge which, over the years, has become weak. The wooden logs need replacements, and so do the cables, which have to be strengthened for the safety of the people. We have recommended that the administration allow only two people at a time to cross the bridge,” Shamas Din Choudhary, executive engineer of the PWD division Thathri, Doda, told ETV Bharat.

He said that the department has recommended stopping the movement of loaded mules through the bridge to avoid any untoward incident.

Vital Footbridge Over Chenab River In Jammu Kashmir’s Doda Cries For Attention (ETV Bharat)

“The district administration has been alerted about its safety, and certain measures are being taken to strengthen it. Apart from that, a detailed project report has been submitted to the higher authorities to construct a steel footbridge for the people living across and moving through the existing bridge,” Choudhary added.

The Prem Nagar village is a unique area in the district where houses are constructed on a rock on the right bank of the river, and at first sight, a stranger can’t stay in the area for fear of living under constant threat of meeting with any accident.

Talking to ETV Bharat, Deputy Commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh said that this bridge was declared unsafe a long time ago. “I had told the concerned authorities to check its safety, and restrictions were imposed as well. The police have been informed to remain alert there and not to allow people in large numbers to move through the bridge,” he said.