Jamshedpur, July 12: Dhalbhum SDO Suraj Kumar issued a directive to the executive engineer road construction department, Jamshedpur division, Sanjay Kumar Singh, for installation of signage at the danger zones warning public of drowning points.
The decision was taken in view of four drowning deaths in five months since the commencement of construction work of Subernarekha Bridge. Moreover, with water level increasing in rivers in view of monsoon, the decision has been taken as a step of precaution. �
�I have asked the executive engineer for construction of barricades, but then keeping in view monsoon and following increase in water level in Subernarekha and Kharkai rivers it was agreed that putting up barricades would not serve purpose as it would be submerged in water and not be noticed.
We then decided on putting up signage at high levels through poles which can be easily noticed even with the river are in full spate,� said Suraj Kumar.
The directive asks the road construction department to ensure that the signage are in place within a week not only at the identified drowning points but also alongside Marine Drive where the road construction work has begun (near Swarna Vihar in Sonari) and near Dobo (in Seraikela-Kharsawan).
�There has been incidents in the past and people usually teenagers and children usually get into this point to take bath and signage alongside roads both at Marine Drive and at Dobo will caution people against venturing into the river at this points,� said Suraj Kumar.
The new bridge across the Subernarekha River linking Sonari with Dobo in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district is being set up at a cost of Rs 41 crore. The foundation stone for the ambitious project was laid by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on March 13, leading the Kolkata-based construction agency, Royal Infratech Pvt Ltd, to go ahead with the construction work.
The project assumes significance as the commissioning of the bridge by December 2017 would reduce to load of heavy traffic on city roads and in the process reduce traffic congestion and road mishaps on city arteries and also reduce travel time from Jamshedpur to Ranchi by nearly 40 minutes.
The 252-meter long four-lane bridge (dual-carriageway) with each carriageway of nearly 8.5 meters and pedestrian pathway on each flank of 1.5 meters will have the Sonari side of the proposed bridge reaching out to Swarn Vihar and the Chandil side will connect to a village called Dobo. From Dobo, an approach road (nearly 6 km) will be constructed, which would will lead to Kanderbera (near Chandil) and then meet NH-33.
