Imphal, July 09 2010: General Manager (Design) of Kolkata based Garden Reach Ship Builders Engineering (GRSE) Limited, Somnath Bandyopadhyay has categorically stated that the Barak bridge can withstand 40 tonnes.

Barak bridge which is prone to frequent break downs is the most vital and vulnerable link along NH-53 .

The General Manager of the Kolkata based firm, the only firm under the Ministry of Defence manufacturing spare parts of bailey bridges, made the observation after inspecting Barak bridge together with some engineers of the State PWD a few days back.

According to information received from the Public Works Dept, Somnath pointed out that some parts of Bailey bridge were duplicates, not manufactured by GRSE Limited.

He also remarked that proper maintenance was lacking.

PWD Engineers have urged the GM to give a detailed report on the existing condition of the Barak to the BRO and the State Govt.In addition to the deplorable condition of NH-53, Barak bridge has been impeding vehicular traffic along the highway quite often as the bottom suspender clamps of the bridge broke down time and again.

Meanwhile, the State Govt has decided to take up repairing work of the highway by adopting the oneway regulation instead of closing it altogether as planned earlier.

A decision to this effect was adopted during a meeting held yesterday between the CM and PWD Engineers.

One PWD engineer informed The Sangai Express that vehicles coming from Jiribam to Imphal would depart for Jiribam again after a gap of one day.

As the highway has dilapidated to the extreme, it is estimated that repairing one kilometre of the highway to serviceable condition would need around 500 truck loads of stones.

So far, 15 worst areas have been identified between Nungba and Kaimai.

Quarries for supplying stones have also been identified.

But these quarries could not supply more than 10 truck loads each in a day.

As such, stones needed for repairing the highway beyond Barak would be brought in from Silchar and Sekmai.

Stones would also be excavated from quarries located in Nungba area, added the engineer.

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