Author: Jai Prakash Yadav
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 2, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/7715.html
Introduction: Design faults yes, but work
on bridge across Sone has gone smoothly thanks to Hanuman idol was installed
on machine
Mounted on the front of an earthmoving machine
working on a bridge across the Sone, part of the Delhi-Kolkata Golden Quadrilateral,
is a small idol of Lord Hanuman.
The stretch was considered particularly problematic,
and after delays caused by design failure and the like, engineers seeking
to meet the new December 2006 deadline have sought divine intervention.
"In all work we need God's blessings,"
says project manager Jay Shankar of ATL Constructions, which is working on
the bridge. "The failure was due to design fault. But with Lord Hanuman's
blessings, we are moving ahead smoothly. Now, less than a kilometre of the
bridge remains."
Last week, the Centre had blamed Bihar's law-and-order
situation for non-completion of a 40 km stretch of the Delhi-Kolkata section
of the Golden Quadrilateral in Bihar. The 3 km bridge forms part of this problem
stretch.
But although security is cause for concern,
engineers say the real cause of delay was faulty design: the piling method,
by which the bridge was initially meant to be constructed, failed. Then, a
return to the old-fashioned "well method" was proposed. But for
one-and-a-half years there was no progress.
The locals, however, were sure that the wrath
of Lord Hanuman was responsible. They advised the engineers to seek his blessings
to bridge the turbulent Sone.
The engineers of ATL Construction, which has
been contracted for the work, accepted. They have mounted a Lord Hanuman image
on the main machine. After work is completed, they plan to install it on the
river bank in a temple they will construct. "Ab Bajrang Bali sab sankat
door karengey (Now, Lord Hanuman will solve all problems)," says an elderly
labourer.
There are two problem stretches. The first,
the 30-km IV-C section from Sasaram to Dehri-on-Sone, has seen delay due to
the number of bridges it has: apart from the bridge across Sone, there are
eight small and mid-size bridges, besides a 20 km Sasaram bypass. About 75
per cent work has been completed now.
About law and order, resident engineer R V
Shakhadev of Lee International South Asia Pvt Ltd, a consultant for the stretch,
says: "Some contractors have faced kidnap threats. But for us it has
not been a problem. Work is proceeding smoothly and will be completed by November."
The other problem stretch is the 12 km from
Sherghati to Dhobi, on the Aurangabad-Barachatti V-A section. Here, too, law
and order problems are not apparent, for in the last six months no police
station has received kidnap cases or those of ransom demands.
"Today the police will save me. What
will happen tomorrow?" asks an engineer from Orissa. But locals have
another take: they say that construction companies are blaming Bihar, with
its notoriety for law and order problems, for their own failures in execution.
"Look the law and order situation is
the same for everybody. When many companies have finished their work why are
only some lagging behind?" asks Pankaj Singh, who runs Sone Breeze Hotel
in Dehri.
Perhaps they all need to invoke Lord Hanuman.
jpy30@yahoo.com
