Srinagar, Sep 14: The government could be reluctant to continue with work on upcoming skewed bridge across Jhelum –feared to be disastrous for Srinagar’s sole heritage walkway The Bund. But over two decades ago, the then in-service engineers were strong enough to oppose the move and didn’t give up their resolve till the project was abandoned and alternative taken up.
 The story goes like this: In early ‘80s, the then government led by Chief Minister Ghulam Muhammad Shah started work on bridge to connect commercial Poloview with residential Raj Bagh. 

ONE MAN’S THREATENING
 Bansi Parimoo, a famed artist of his times observed that the bridge would be disastrous for beauty of The Bund, the walkway famed world over for centuries.
 Parimoo had threatened to go for self-immolation should the government continue with the work.

ENGINEERS’ RESISTANCE
 The Institute of Engineers (Srinagar Centre) took serious note of the development and apprized the government that the work would be detrimental for the heritage of the City. But before government would reconsider its decision, GM Shah lost his regime to Dr Farooq Abdullah.
 “By then lakhs of rupees were spent as well sinking was taken in hand on the Grindlays Bank site at full swing,” recaps a retired Chief Engineer of Roads and Building Department (R&B).
 “That time there was no civil society… But we all associated with the Institute of   Engineers (Srinagar Centre ) raised a hue and cry pleading that it (bridge) would be detrimental for the ecology and environment of this historic City,” he recapped.
 Finally, the government realized enormity of the issue and the bridge work was stopped.

ABDULLAH BRIDGE GENESIS
 Observers said this was when Dr Abdullah asked the engineers to look for an alternative site for the bridge. And during survey, the site where Abdullah Bridge subsequently came up, was identified.
 “This was how we would work. There used to be no compromise over issues with regard to interests of this City,” the oldie engineer recapped.

DRACULA’S RETURN
 As the fate had it, the ruling National Conference led government again decided to construct the “controversial” bridge between Poloview and Raj Bagh. This time the design looks more disastrous because of it being skewed.

THE CHANGE
 For now engineers and other officials concerned with the skewed bridge project are tight-lipped. Leave apart upholding resistance as their predecessors had exhibited to “save the City”, the Babus are trying their best to allegedly hide the misgivings including traffic mess feared to surface once the bridge, fifth within a kilometre of river course, is ready.  
 This is despite the fact that Governor NN Vohra sometime back directed the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon to get the “issue solved”.

SAFETY OF FEMALES
 The bridge is also feared to be a threat to safety of girls studying at the Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School, just outside which the bridge will connect to the Raj Bagh side.
 Parents of the students said that their main motive of sending wards to the Convent, a heritage school,  was its comparatively calm environment as had been there since the Dogra regime when Maharajas had given land to the Presentation Sisters.
 “But for now these Mantris who want to get benefited by this bridge want to erode the social fabric of our society by forcing this girls only school to go closer to commercial hub through this bridge,” said Shafqat Jahan, a parent adding that the skewed bridge looks to be part of some “deep-rooted conspiracy against conservative Kashmiri society.”

THE RELUCTANCE
 Even though the NC-led government has been reluctant to go ahead with the construction, skewed bride is feared to be disastrous. But unlike past, engineers associated with the project are silent for reasons better known to them even as they support decision which their predecessors had strongly opposed!

Lastupdate on : Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 15 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST