CANACONA
The bailey bridge built on river Talpona in 2002 as a footbridge but constantly used as a motorable bridge connecting important localities to the mainland will undergo specific maintenance.
The Collector (South) issued an order to stop vehicular and pedestrian movements on this bridge for 11 days until January 30.
The bridge connects main parts of Sadolxem, Talpona, Galgibaga to the mainland of Kindlem, Ponsulem in the jurisdiction of Canacona Municipal Council (CMC).
The tender for maintenance of this bailey bridge has been approved for maintenance by applying synthetic elastomeric paint of Rs 13 lakh.
Accordingly, the Collector (South) issued an order to stop movement of traffic and pedestrians for 11 days from the date when actual works will begin, but till January 30.
Incidentally, Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes after re-inspecting the bridge asked the PWD to put up warning boards to make the motorists and pedestrians aware of the bridge closure at an appropriate distance.
Fernandes has also asked PWD engineer to check the durability of iron plates and other material, as people often complained of severe corrosion of the whole bridge.
Suspecting durability of the bridge, people in the past had wrote warning sign at the bridge entrance as ‘enter at your own risk’, as since it was built in 2002, it was not maintained except for some painting work once.
MLA Fernandes informed people will wholeheartedly cooperate during the closure period, but only actual repairs need to be done and not merely paint it, which can at the most hide corrosion. “Hope it will be done and make the bridge safe for public utility,” Fernandes said.
