Once built, the bridge across the Anji Nullah in J&K will be the longest and tallest single span arch bridge in the country. The railways is hoping that its construction, delayed by two years owing to safety concerns, is resumed, now that the safety issues have been addressed.
The railways is hoping that the negotiations later this week with Gammon India which was executing the bridge construction work will bear fruit so that work on it can resume soon. Gammon had been asked by the railways to “demobilise” its machinery and halt construction work on the bridge in July 2008 after security concerns about slope stability were raised.
Officials of the Konkan Railways Corporation Limited (KRCL) which is managing the Anji Nullah bridge project will be holding discussions with Gammon India officials. Railways officials said that if Gammon does not want to work on the project anymore, some other contractor for building the bridge will have to be appointed.
The bridge is part of the Indian railways ambitious, multi-crore Kashmir rail link project. The project is aimed at providing a vital transport link to the state and in particular the strife-torn Kashmir valley. The 189 metres tall bridge (height has been measured from the river bed) will be more than double the height of the Qutub Minar which stands 72 metres high. This bridge of gargantuan proportions will be coming up near Reasi in Jammu. With a single span of 265 metres, the resumption of work on the bridge has been approved by the Railway Board.