The ever busy Bikram Chowk flyover in the heart of the city has been plunged into total darkness as hardly any of the LED lights, out of more than hundred, is functional over the bridge thus posing great risk for the people.
The Bikram Chowk flyover was completed more than a year ago but, presently, none of the LED lights is functional over the bridge with both Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) blaming each other for maintenance of LED lights.
The JMC claimed that the Bikram Chowk flyover has not been handed over to the Corporation by ERA since its completion more than a year ago. “Therefore, responsibility of maintenance of LED lights over the flyover lies with ERA,” Xen (Electrical), JMC, Sanjay Bhagat said.
On the other hand, the ERA authorities claimed, “Our job is only completion of the project and not maintenance of lights”.
Project Manager, ERA, Rajesh Gandotra, said that job of ERA is only to implement the project and not its maintenance.
“We have completed the flyover and maintenance of the LED lights is the job of JMC,” Gandotra said adding, “We have several times written to the JMC authorities for taking over the Bikram Chowk flyover but the process has not been completed,” Gandotra said.
On the other hand, Xen (Electrical), JMC, Sanjay Bhagat said that there acute shortage of manpower with JMC and moreover, the BIkram Chowk flyover has not been handed over to the Corporation by ERA.
“We can look after the maintenance of flyover and its lights only when it is formally handed over to the JMC,” Bhagat said.
The BIkram Chowk flyover was constructed with the sole motive of decongesting the city.