Bailey bridge laid in record time to ensure connectivity in J-K's Kishtwar

A 60-foot-long bailey bridge has been constructed over the Kabban nallah (stream) to ensure connectivity to the remote areas of Paddar sub-division in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, an official spokesman said on Monday.

The bridge was launched on Sunday by the 118 Road Construction Company of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF), headed by Lt Colonel Shiv Bhadhur, under the Beacon project in a record time of just one day, he said.

The road at Kaban nallah was washed away on April 19 due to torrential rain in the area and the GREF at that time made alternate diversion routes with hume pipes as an immediate arrangement to restore interim connectivity.

However, persistent and excessive water flow in the Kaban nallah caused by melting of snow endangered the existing diversion route, with water flowing over the hume pipes, the spokesman said.

Anticipating the washing away of the road again in the near future, he said, the administration headed by District Magistrate Rajinder Singh Tara facilitated the movement of men and machinery amid the lockdown by ensuring adherence to social distancing and SOPs.

"The bridge would not only ensure the connectivity to the strategic area but will also relieve the people from any inconveniences that may be caused due to washing away of the bridge," Tara said, appreciating the efforts of the GREF in the construction of the bridge in a time-bound manner.

The spokesman said the bridge was vital to ensure that supplies of medicines and other essential items amid the COVID-19 lockdown are not affected in the remote areas of Paddar.