Punjab News/Punjab to conduct survey of road bridges within a week: Dhillon

Chandigarh, November 22, 2013: Punjab to conduct a survey of bridges on roads within a week and all necessary steps would be taken to ensure the safety of people on roads.

Punjab Public Works Minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon after a meeting with the senior officials of the department has directed to ensure the repair work of all the bridges by  December 31.

Taking a serious note of the incident of non availability of railing on a bridge in Amritsar District due to which 10 people lost their lives few days back minister said that that bridge on which this accident took place was not under the PWD Department but was built by the people of the area and other religious organisations. He said that this bridge was only 10 feet wide and railing was destroyed by combine harvesters to pass their combines.

Dhillonn said that strict instructions have been issued to the officials to conduct a survey of all the road bridges which comes under the preview of the PWD department and report the weak safety points. He added that all repair works on such bridges should be done by December 31 and all necessary measures should be taken to ensure the safety of the people.

He directed the officials to ensure proper sign boards and reflectors and small speed breakers on the roads near the bridges which should be placed at proper visibility. He also said that that no bridge under the jurisdiction of Public Works Department shall be without railing in the next two months.

The Minister said that officials should ensure the widening of bridges where roads are being widened and no laxity at any level would be tolerated. Others prominent present in the meeting were Sehajpreet Singh Mangat OSD to PWD Minister and chief engineers of the department.