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The bridge was built by the Britishers about 109 years ago on the Gomti River. There are many cracks on the wall as well as the platform of the bridge now.
The Allahabad High Court recently directed the concerned Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department to get a study conducted about the present status of the 300-meter-long bridge at River Gomti in Lucknow commonly known as 'Pakka Pul'.
The bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Saurabh Srivastava ordered the study to be conducted so that a report can be prepared as to what measures can possibly be taken to preserve the old bridge that was opened by the British in 1914.
The order was passed in a Public Interest Litigation filed by a lawyer Shadab Haider raising concerns about the safety of the bridge which is also called Harding bridge as Lord Harding contributed a lot in its construction.
Court directed that the study as ordered should be conducted within a period of four weeks and by the next date of hearing i.e. January 5, 2023, the report of the study should be furnished to the Court by the State counsel.
As per the media reports, the Public Works Department has written a letter to the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) to assess whether the Pakka Pul is fit to walk now or not.
After breaking the old Shahi bridge built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula of Awadh in 1911, the Britishers laid the foundation of the Pakka Pul.
The present bridge carries a two-lane road for vehicles and walkways for foot traffic. The span is supported by low ironwork arches anchored to stone piers in the river bed.
However, as per reports, the railing on the bridge is broken at many places and due to soil subsidence, big cracks have appeared on the wall and road. The water pipeline is also leaking.
Case Title: Shadab Haider v. Union Of India and Others
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