Vikramshila Setu closed for three months; free cruise service for commuters.
Bhagalpur. Vehicular movement has been stopped on the Vikramshila Bridge built on the Ganga river in Bhagalpur, Bihar from today i.e. October 1. A mega block of about three months has been taken for the permanent rehabilitation of the damaged portion of the bridge. During this time, the temporary bailey bridge built on the bridge will be removed and a new truss bridge will be built. Due to closure of the bridge, the administration has also prepared alternative arrangements for common passengers and vehicles. Free service of 11 cruises is being started to ferry passengers across the Ganga, while there are plans to run seven cargo ships for vehicles.
Vikramshila Setu is an important connectivity route for many surrounding areas including Bhagalpur. A large number of people and vehicles pass through this bridge every day. Due to closure of vehicles for three months, people traveling by road may have to face problems. Keeping this in view, arrangements have been made to allow passengers and vehicles to cross the river Ganga.
A temporary Bailey bridge was first built on the damaged part of the bridge, due to which the movement of small vehicles was restored. Now this bailey bridge will be removed for permanent repair and a strong steel truss structure will be built in its place. During the repair work, vehicular movement on the bridge has been completely stopped.
To save the passengers from trouble, the administration has made arrangements to start cruise service in Ganga. A total of 11 cruises will transport passengers from one side of the Ganga to the other. The special thing is that no fee will be charged from the passengers for this service. Cruise service is being provided free of cost by the government.
Under the plan, preparations are being made to run ships and boats at regular intervals from both banks of the river, so that the crowd of passengers can be controlled. The administration fears that due to the closure of the bridge, the number of passengers using the river route may increase significantly. In such a situation, there will be a need to pay special attention to crowd management and security arrangements at the ghats.
At the same time, seven cargo ships have been arranged to take the vehicles across the Ganga. However, at present an obstacle has emerged. Due to rising water level of river Ganga, the district administration has directed not to operate cargo ships for the first three days. In such a situation, vehicles may have to resort to alternative road routes during this period. Cargo operations are expected to be started after the water level condition returns to normal.
The damaged slab will be permanently replaced during repairs on the bridge. Along with this, the temporary arrangement will be removed and a strong truss bridge will be installed. To safely complete the construction and restoration work, it has been considered necessary to keep the bridge completely closed to vehicles.
Engineers and technical teams responsible for the repair work have started preparations. After removing the bailey bridge, the work of construction of a new steel structure on the damaged part will proceed. About three months time has been fixed for the entire process.
The closure of Vikramshila Bridge may have the biggest impact on people traveling from Bhagalpur towards Navagachia, Kosi and Seemanchal. This bridge has been used as an important transport link of this region for a long time. The closure of the bridge is likely to impact daily commuters as well as business activities and freight traffic.
For this reason, the administration has made waterways the main option apart from road routes. Cruise service is being provided for pedestrians and general passengers, while a cargo ship for vehicles has been planned. The efforts of the authorities are to maintain contact between the two sides during the three-month mega block and ensure minimum inconvenience to the people.
In view of the possibility of increase in the crowd of passengers at the ghats due to closure of the bridge, arrangement of necessary facilities there will also be important. The local administration will have to continuously monitor the movement of people, boarding and deboarding of ships and security. If the number of passengers increases, especially during festivals, additional arrangements may be required.
At present the biggest challenge is the increased water level of Ganga. For this reason, operation of cargo ships has been stopped for three days. Cruise service is being started on priority for passengers, while for vehicles, arrangements for cargo operations will be implemented after the situation becomes normal.
During this mega block of three months, a target has been set to complete the permanent repair work on Vikramshila Bridge. After the construction of the new truss bridge and restoration of the damaged parts, normal traffic can be resumed on the bridge.
With the closure of traffic on Vikramshila Bridge, the waterway of Ganga will remain an important option for the people of Bhagalpur for the next few months. Eleven free cruise ships will provide respite to passengers, while seven cargo ships will help ferry vehicles across. At present, due to the closure of cargo service for three days, everyone will keep an eye on the alternative arrangements of the administration.