SOLAN: Acting on High Court order, the PWD has finally started the work to rebuilt the over bridge on Kalka- Shimla rail line yesterday. The bridge on Dharampur –Subathu road was closed by railway for vehicular traffic in January this year while terming it unsafe for rail line. The decision was come as major shock for number of panchayats besides causing embarrassment to army based at Subathu.
Though the light vehicles were allowed in February end but normal life of thousands of people were badly suffered who used road daily to make their both ends meet. The railway has termed bridge unsafe and danger to rail line after conducting inspection of spot. In September last year, an Assistant Engineer of Northern Railway based at Shimla had written to DC, Solan seeking diverting of heavy vehicles from bridge.
Fed up from illogical decision of railway the Dharampur- Bashalu Sampark Marg (DBSM) the locally based registered society has gone to High Court challenging railway claim over fear over bridge condition. Interestingly the railway failed to give any affidavit about technical reasons required to term the bridge as unsafe.
However the main plea taken in writ to HC was to counter railway claim over existing of road. As per railway the road was earlier only allowed as pedestrian path. However as per records available with DBSM the road was constructed when British set up the cantonment at Subathu in 1815. However the rail line was laid in 1903.
Passing order on writ, the Division Bench of HC has asked the both railway and PWD to decide before yesterday about reconstruction of bridge. It was said in order that the bridge could be constructed by railway and PWD individually or by jointly. The report in this regard was to be filed with court by September 10. However it appeared that railway has refused to construct the road hence PWD started work today. Interestingly Rs. 10 lakh has already been deposited with railway by DC, Solan for bridge construction. The amount was still lying unused with railway.
