Imphal, August 04: To enable loaded vehicles ply on national Highway 53, strengthening of weak bridges along the route will be completed within a week�s time, said BRTF officials.

Speaking to the Sangai Express today, Commandant of 36 BRTF Mahesh Prasad Singh said that material collection exercise is underway in right earnest so that the bridges may be strengthened to carry a 15 ton truck within a week's time.

Informing that the unit�s Chief Engineer KYK Majumdar has arrived from Aizawl and is conducting a thorough survey of bridges located on the Jiribam to Barak stretch, Mahesh Prasad said that the BRTF has identified 10 weak bridges requiring re-strengthening.

Informing that BRTF authority is considering procurement of requisite repairing material from the State PWD, as the unit has limited resources at its disposal, Mahesh Prasad that that the State Chief Secretary has been intimated to take up necessary procedures to provide the necessary material to the BRTF.

Acknowledging the BRTF initiatives in enhancing the strength of weak bridges, PWD chief Engineer Ng Rastrapati Singh assured that his Department will extend all possible assistance in ensuring availability of repairing material within the shortest possible time.

Rastrapati also informed that the State Government has been consulted to depute a team of Engineers, who are bridge experts, to work in close tandem with BRTF Engineers.

The team is ready to leave by tomorrow if Government approves the proposal, he said.

In a late evening development, PWD source disclosed that five trucks loaded with bridge repairing material are scheduled to leave Imphal tomorrow morning.

Due to confusion over weight restrictions, truckers whose vehicles have already been fully loaded are unwilling to shed loads to conform to the tonnage norms and this has forced around 200 vehicles to remain stranded at Jiribam.

Weight bar: Citing technical inputs from experts on bridges and taking into account the condition of bridges on NH-53 the Imphal East Deputy Commissioner KK Chhetry has issued an order stating that only vehicles not exceeding 10 tonnes, including weight of the vehicle, should pass through NH-53.