Caretaker of Barak Bridge shoulders on bravely
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Maisnam Karnajit
Imphal, December 06 2011:
The only caretaker of the Barak Bridge, on Imphal-Jiribam road, employed by the BRTF is the lone sufferer whenever there is any sort of mishaps on the bridge,
said Abuthoi.
Abuthoi, the lone caretaker of the Barak Bridge who is employed by the BRTF to mend the bridge whenever there is break down on it, told Hueiyen Lanpao that the breaking down of the Barak Bridge happens most of the time when the defect develops in the suspender clamp.
The suspender clamp, which acts as the support of the bridge always tends to get worn out and breaks as the Barak Bridge has become very old and worn out.
The clamp also breaks up every now and then because overloaded vehicles cross the bridge quite often.
The BRTF has strictly warned all goods carrying vehicles above 10 tons to desist from crossing the bridge.
He further said that almost all goods laden vehicles crossing the bridge has a weight of more than 10 tons.
On a daily basis, not less than 30-40 trucks cross the bridge.
When the bridge breaks down all the mending work is done by him alone.
Everyday he checks the condition of the bridge whenever 30-40 trucks have crossed the bridge, which takes almost the whole day.
So there is no time for him for any other engagement, he added.
Abuthoi gets a monthly salary of Rs 4,000, though he is not a regular employee of BRTF.
Meanwhile, a Manipur Police personnel who was on ROP on Imphal-Jiribam road said that this road is regarded as the second life line of the people of the state.
Almost all unwanted happenings to goods laden vehicles along the stretch of the NH occur around Barak Bridge.
As such, if state forces are deployed in and around the Barak Bridge, the rate of occurrence of these unwanted incidents might climb down .