Traffic woes after bridge collapse

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 24: In a bid to reduce the load on National Highway 34, the Murshidabad police are diverting a large number of heavy vehicles carrying goods to north Bengal and the North-eastern states from Morgram, an important point of the express highway, the Malda SP, Mr DK Mondal, said today. He said that the police have restricted the movement of heavy trucks on NH-34 from 10 am today, considering the situation of thousands of trucks which were stranded on the highway in North Dinajpur in the past two days after the Domohona Bailey bridge collapse. “The Murshidabad police are diverting the lorries via Pakur in Jharkhand which is connected with Bihar,” Mr Mondal, added. The administration has not yet found an alternative route connecting NH-81 from Gazole’s Kadumari More to NH-34 because the condition of roads has deteriorated. “The seven-km road, connecting the borders of Bengal and Bihar is not in a condition to carry traffic. There is a single connecting road at Kushida in Harischandrapur on the Bengal side where heavy trucks will not be allowed,” Mr Mondal, said. Though the authorities had decided to develop NH-81 from Gazole to the Bengal-Bihar border as an alternative and took the initiative three years ago, the project was discontinued owing to several “technical difficulties” in Malda. Mr Srikumar Bhattachaya, a senior official of the National Highway Authority of India, said they would think of developing an alternative to NH-34 after the collapse of the Domohona bridge. On the other hand, NH-34 is in a deplorable state from Malda to Gazole due to monsoon rains. There are a number of potholes and craters on the road which would create problems at least for 14 km for the drivers. The NHAI would start repair work before the Pujas when the monsoon is over. “The regular maintenance and proper supervision of NH-34 from Barasat in the North-24 Parganas to Dalkhola in North Dinajpur has been neglected in the last few years for the proposed widening project, which is still a distant dream,” said a senior Malda district administration official.