Thiruvananthapuram: PWD minister G Sudhakaran said that the state government was considering a legislation to punish, and extract maximum compensation, from contractors and PWD officials responsible for faulty roads, bridges and buildings in the state.
The new Bill has been mooted in the light of the finding that 314 bridges in the state have been found to suffer from serious structural defects, and 975 require immediate maintenance, in a comprehensive technical assessment carried out after cracks were detected in Enathu bridge early this year. The most number of faulty bridges were in Alappuzha (44) and Kozhikode (42).
These figures were presented by the minister while responding to a Calling Attention motion moved by CPM MLA Raju Abraham. “Right when the weaknesses of Enathu bridge came to light, I had directed engineers to give a factual report on the status of bridges in the state,” the minister said. The engineers were also given training on ways to check the foundation, pillars, abutments, deck slabs, expansion joints, bearings, and handrails of bridges on the basis of guidelines issued by Indian Road Congress. They were also taught how to assess the age of a bridge.
“Of the 2,209 bridges in the state, the assessment of 1931 bridges are over,” Mr Sudhakaran said. Only 642 bridges have been found to be in good condition, less than 30 percent of the total. 975 bridges require simple maintenance, and 314 are in serious trouble. “The reports of bridges in Palakkad and Thrissur are yet to be received,” the minister said. He has sought an explanation from the engineers in charge.
Some of the reasons identified for the poor state of bridges are: old age, proliferation of heavy vehicles, defects in construction, design faults, poor maintenance, sand mining from rivers and lakes, floods, and earthquake.The minister said that considering the importance of the issue, a chief engineer will be appointed exclusively for bridges. “Till the post is created, a chief engineer has been asked to hold charge to look after issues related to bridges,” the minister said.
