The nearly 110-year-old railway overbridge in Belagavi is said to be posing a danger to road users, as its usable period has expired. .
The immediate threat to the structure is from the indiscriminate use of the overbridge by heavy vehicles, though a ban was imposed on them [heavy vehicles] in the interest of safety of the public over three years ago.
Though the usable period of the overbridge has expired, there has been no restriction on heavy vehicles using the overbridge, avoiding a better and parallel road.
Meanwhile, members of the Belagavi Chamber of Commerce and Industries and industrial associations, who submitted a memorandum to Police Commissioner Soumendu Mukherjee here recently, asked who will be held responsible if the overbridge were to collapse.
The former presidents of Belagavi Chamber of Commerce and Industries Satish Tendulkar and Basavaraj Javali have said that in their memorandum they have pointed out the poor condition of the overbridge, as it was tilting downwards near the Goods Shed Road.
Also, cracks have developed between girders not warranting movement of heavy goods vehicles and private tourist buses.
They also said that the Deputy Commissioner, the Police Department and the Public Works Department had passed orders banning the movement of heavy vehicles on the overbridge three years ago.
Yet, the orders are not being effectively implemented which amounts to compromising with the safety of people’s lives.
The ban orders were issued following the British Government writing a letter in 2005 to the Public Works Department informing it about the expiry of the usable period of the bridge.
The chamber members suggested that the police should immediately start restricting movement of heavy vehicles on the overbridge, install signboards announcing the restriction on the movement of heavy vehicles on the overbridge, put up height restriction arches near the overbridge and strict action against violation of the ban.
Closed Circuit TV cameras could be installed to check movement of heavy vehicles on the bridge.
Deputy Commissioners of Police Amarnath Reddy and Anupam Agarwal have assured the chamber members that they would impose a ban on movement of heavy vehicles on the overbridge and also install height restriction bars at both ends of the overbridge at the earliest.
