Karnataka   

A historical bridge is falling down Living Heritage

IN DANGER: A portion of the bridge across the Krishna near the Raichur Thermal Power Station.

A historical bridge across the Krishna near the Raichur Thermal Power Station, which connects the State with Andhra Pradesh, is in danger. The 74-year-old bridge is the largest construction in the area and constitutes one of the many landmarks of the reign of Nawab Sir Mir Usman Alikhan Bahadur Asaf Jah, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad. The bridge which formed an important link on the road from Peshawar to Cape Comorin, was constructed in memory of Nawab Jawad Jah Bahadur, and was named as “Sirat-e-Judi”. With a width of 20 ft, the 2,488-ft long bridge stands 62 ft above the river bed. It is divided into 35 arches each having a span of 60 ft. The drainage area at the site is approximately 50,000 sq miles and the maximum discharge passing under the bridge during a flood is about a million cusecs. Built in granite stone, the work on the bridge commenced in 1933 and ended 10 years later. The expenditure was then put at Rs. 13,28,500. Its construction was carried out during the time of Mohamed Ahmed Mirza, chief engineer and secretary, Public Works Department in the Nizam’s Government. The bridge, with a State Highway passing through it, not only provides a direct link between Goa and Hyderabad but also acts as a major road connecting all important cities and towns of northern and southern India. Since its construction, the bridge has not seen much maintenance. Now it has developed numerous cracks at various points due to the growth of weeds. The pathway along the bridge is full of potholes. Recently, one of the four pillars on either ends of the bridge had been pulled down by some vandals weakening a portion of the bridge at its southern end. The entire portion of the bridge falls under the purview of the Karnataka Public Works Department. But efforts have not been made to repair the cracks and potholes. Though the State Government recently upgraded a stretch of about 200-km road between Shakthinagar and Boodgumpa (in Koppal district) commencing from the Krishna Bridge under World Bank assistance, the authorities concerned have done nothing to strengthen the bridge.

This continued apathy may affect the strength of the bridge leading to its collapse in the course of time.

D.K. Kishan Rao in Raichur

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Janata Dal (S) slams the door on Congress, BJP
Dealing firmly
Regularisation of bylaw violations till December 14
Arrested
Drumming up support
Farmers do not prefer some hospitals
Dry weather leads to rise in power consumption
Thrust on area expansion under horticulture
Dakshina Kannada may become the first ‘nirmal district’
Fish market lacks facilities
Cultural sprouting on a hilltop
Flood loss in State put at Rs. 955 crore
College gets new hall
A historical bridge is falling down Living Heritage
The destination for some mouth-watering cuisine
Celebrating nutrition
Youth festival in December
Mixed reaction to ‘Datta yatra’ proposal
Training for SHGs in production of vermi compost
‘Submit crop loss report in a week’
Correction
Unknown Samaritan
Kumaraswamy rules out revival of ties with BJP
Traffic snarls

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu