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http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Main%20Picture%20News/Is-the-govt-waiting-for-us-to-die-to-repair-the-Zuari-bridge/53641.htmlSURAJ
[email protected]
CORTALIM: On Monday, Herald reported an eyewitness account of the site
inspection of the Zuari bridge. If that was shocking, here is something which
the government of Goa should be acutely guilty of-- jeopardizing the lives of
almost close to half a million people daily.Documents in Herald’s possession
now prove that the government is only waiting for a tragedy to happen before it
constructs a new bridge.To start with Herald has a report received under Right
to Information Act, which has clearly put before the government the actual
condition of the bridge.A report prepared by the Executive Engineer (XIV) RM
Deshpande after leakage was noticed inside the box cantilever of the bridge in
July 2011, during monsoons, reveals the actual condition of the bridge“Surface
cracks on the asphalt surface, running in length of 20 cm to 80 cm with 1 to 2
mm width, numbering about 35 have developed along the whole length of 830
metres. Cracks can be noticed as external surface cracks longitudinally as well
as horizontally all along for the bridge”. The report however stated that they
did not penetrate the inside structure of the bridge yet.It further adds,
“There are old cracks which were sealed in 2006 and before, and some of them
were again opened on P5-span.”It also said that there was a leakage of one
glass of water from the P5 pillar. This is a critical zone as a 40 cm circle
has been noticed with multiple cracks.“This pier has 8 new cracks which have
led to trickling of water inside the bridge. Also new leakage is observed
through the block bolt,” the report says.The report has also suggested some
remedies to improve the condition of the bridge. However it has strictly
maintained that the “new bridge is to be constructed without any further delay”
without actually saying that this bridge will not last long.After going through
the report, Team Herald also went inside the cantilever box to know the actual
position and the revelations were startling. Our subsequent reports will reveal
more startling truths.
