Uri locals seek opening of newly constructed NS bridge

Uri, Sep 19: The newly constructed Nand Singh (NS) bridge in border town Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district is yet to be opened for the traffic even three months after its completion.

The historic bridge located over Hajipeer nallah on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road connects dozens of villages with the Uri tehsil headquarters especially those falling close to Line of Control (LoC). It was badly damaged during the 2005 earthquake.

A delegation of locals told Greater Kashmir that despite the completion of work three months ago, Beacon authorities have failed to open the bridge for commuters. “The work on the new bridge was completed almost three months back. We fail to understand why it hasn’t been opened yet,” locals said.

They stressed that the bridge serves as a lifeline for the local population. “Its reopening should be given top priority. We were happy that the bridge was rebuilt after 20 years, but we are confused about why officials are delaying its opening,” Bashir Bhat, a local resident said.

Earlier, Beacon had constructed a makeshift bridge as an alternative, but locals said it proved troublesome. “Many times the plates of the temporary bridge suffered damage, halting traffic for hours and causing huge inconvenience,” a resident recalled. The makeshift bridge had also collapsed during the 2014 floods and was repaired only after nearly a month.

Locals of Uri have now demanded the immediate opening of the newly constructed Nand Singh bridge. No Beacon officials were available for comment. However, a senior official from Uri administration told Greater Kashmir that the final load testing of the bridge was pending. “Only after the test is completed, they will decide about its opening,” the official said.