Baner River Bridge Delay Causes Hardship, PWD Faces Criticism
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Baner River Bridge Delay Causes Hardship, PWD Faces Criticism

As reported by Himachal Tribune on January 21, 2025, a bridge on the Baner river, located on the Daulatpur-Kharati road and meant to connect 15 panchayats, has remained incomplete for eight years, causing ongoing hardships for residents of over a dozen villages. The bridge’s construction began in 2017 after the foundation was laid by the late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, but despite this, the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) has failed to make it operational.

Two years ago, the bridge collapsed due to poor construction quality, and work has yet to resume. In September 2023, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh visited the site and instructed that the bridge be completed within a year, yet the project remains half-finished. Official sources say fresh bids for the construction have been invited and sent to the head office for approval, due to the failure of the initial tender process.

Kangra MLA Pawan Kajal has been vocal in his criticism of the PWD, highlighting repeated delays and the extensions granted to the contractor despite their failure to complete the work. Kajal, who secured a Rs 3.3 crore budget from NABARD for the project in 2017, has alleged that substandard construction led to the collapse and is now calling for strict action against the responsible engineers. He also urged the Vigilance Department to investigate the matter.

In response to the collapse, a four-member fact-finding team from the PWD was formed to investigate the incident. The team conducted an inspection, collected evidence, and recorded statements, but no action has yet been taken against those responsible.

Meanwhile, residents of the affected villages continue to face significant challenges, and public outrage is growing. Kajal has reiterated the urgency of completing the project and ensuring that such lapses do not occur again.

Your next big infra connection is waiting at RAHSTA 2025 – Asia’s Biggest Roads & Highways Expo, Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. Don’t miss out!

As reported by Himachal Tribune on January 21, 2025, a bridge on the Baner river, located on the Daulatpur-Kharati road and meant to connect 15 panchayats, has remained incomplete for eight years, causing ongoing hardships for residents of over a dozen villages. The bridge’s construction began in 2017 after the foundation was laid by the late Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, but despite this, the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) has failed to make it operational. Two years ago, the bridge collapsed due to poor construction quality, and work has yet to resume. In September 2023, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh visited the site and instructed that the bridge be completed within a year, yet the project remains half-finished. Official sources say fresh bids for the construction have been invited and sent to the head office for approval, due to the failure of the initial tender process. Kangra MLA Pawan Kajal has been vocal in his criticism of the PWD, highlighting repeated delays and the extensions granted to the contractor despite their failure to complete the work. Kajal, who secured a Rs 3.3 crore budget from NABARD for the project in 2017, has alleged that substandard construction led to the collapse and is now calling for strict action against the responsible engineers. He also urged the Vigilance Department to investigate the matter. In response to the collapse, a four-member fact-finding team from the PWD was formed to investigate the incident. The team conducted an inspection, collected evidence, and recorded statements, but no action has yet been taken against those responsible. Meanwhile, residents of the affected villages continue to face significant challenges, and public outrage is growing. Kajal has reiterated the urgency of completing the project and ensuring that such lapses do not occur again.

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

WRI, CII Launch Alliance to Drive Clean Energy in Industry

WRI India and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have jointly launched the CI-NERGY Alliance – Steering Energy Transitions to accelerate clean energy adoption within India’s commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. The initiative was unveiled during Connect Karo 2025 in New Delhi.The alliance seeks to support India’s broader climate goals—achieving 50 per cent of power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2070. Given that the C&I sector is among the highest electricity consumers in the country, its decarbonisation holds substantial pot..

Next Story
Real Estate

Unified RERA Portal Launched to Boost Sector Transparency

The 5th Meeting of the Central Advisory Council (CAC), constituted under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), was held at Sankalp Bhawan, New Delhi, marking eight years of regulatory reform in India’s real estate sector. The meeting was inaugurated with a welcome address by Shri Kuldip Narayan, Joint Secretary (Housing), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), followed by key insights from Secretary (HUA), Shri Srinivas Katikithala, on RERA’s evolution.Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, and Minister of State, Shri Tokhan Sahu, ..

Next Story
Real Estate

Mumbai Nears 100K Sales Despite Rs 10B August Dip

Mumbai’s real estate market remained resilient in August 2025, recording 11,230 property registrations under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits, according to data from Knight Frank India. Despite a 3 per cent year-on-year dip and an 11 per cent decline from July, experts suggest the housing market continues to be driven by strong end-user confidence.Stamp duty collections for the month stood at Rs 10 billion, down 6 per cent from Rs 10.62 billion in August 2024. However, cumulative performance from January to August 2025 paints a strong picture—over 99,869 registrations we..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?