Paradip: A major mishap is on the cards for the bridge across the Mahanadi river at Bhutamundai on Paradip-Chandikhole National Highway-5 (A) simply because of the load it takes. At any given point of time, more than 100 loaded trucks are on the bridge stranded for hours.
Every day 7, 000 to 8, 000 mineral-carrying trucks ply between Duhuria in Kendrapara district and this town. They have to cross the bridge over the Mahanadi to enter Paradip.
The minimum weight of the 14-wheeler trucks is approximately a little over 40 tonne each. So one can easily imagine the load the 970 metres bridge has to take with about 100 trucks in a single line stranded on it. It would be to the tune of close to 4,000 tonne at any given point of time. One should also not forget the load of the other vehicles that ply on the lane which remains clear always.
Commuters have felt tremors and strong vibrations while travelling on the bridge. So they are quite apprehensive about the future of the bridge.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has a rule which states that loaded trucks should not parked on bridges for a length period. But the rules have been flouted in this case with impunity. Repeated requests to the local Truck Owners’ Association’ and awareness campaign among the drivers have failed to produce the desired results. The drivers have but one aim… to reach Paradip as quickly as possible and unload their cargo.
The problem of loaded trucks being stranded on the Mahanadi bridge for hours has been compounded as it falls under Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts. The administrations of these two districts do not want to tackle the menace jointly. NHAI authorities are also not taking any steps to discourage the truckers to park their vehicles in such a way.
Accidents on the bridge are on the rise. A helper of a truck was killed Tuesday when he was speeding car coming from the opposite side. Then there have been cases of bike riders getting hit by the doors of trucks opened accidentally.
Local residents are of the opinion that unless steps are initiated quickly to prevent the piling up of loaded trucks on the bridge a huge mishap is on the cards.
PNN
