Bermo (Bokaro), Rakesh Verma: Administrative approval has been received for the construction of a bridge over Damodar river between Jaridih market of Bermo block and Chalkari of Petarwar block, the main commercial market of Bermo under Bokaro district. Government’s Principal Secretary Ajay Kumar Singh has sent a letter to the Accountant General, Jharkhand Ranchi on July 19, 2023 informing about the administrative approval for the construction of this bridge. It has been said in the letter that under the Mukhyamantri Gram Setu Yojana under the Rural Development Department, Special Division Bokaro, in the financial year 2023-24, administrative approval is given for the construction of a bridge between Jaridih Bazar of Bermo block and Chalkari of Petarwar block of Bokaro district. The amount of administrative approval will be Rs 22,54,36,100 (Rupees 22 crore 54 lakh 36 thousand one hundred).
Bermo MLA’s efforts paid off
It may be known that on June 8, 2021, Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal alias Anoop Singh wrote a letter to the Secretary, Rural Development, Government of Jharkhand, demanding the construction of a bridge over Ijri river between village Sundaro and Gopalpur of Chilagadda panchayat of Jaridih block, besides Jaridih Bazar of Bermo block and Chalkari of Petarwar block. In the letter, MLA Mr. Singh had said that due to the construction of both the bridges, the people of Bermo, Petarwar, Jaridih block will get a lot of convenience in movement. In this, the construction work of the bridge on Ijri river between village Sundaro and Gopalpur of Chilagadda panchayat of Jaridih block has already started several months back. While the administrative approval of the bridge over Damodar river between Jaridih Bazar and Chalkari has also been received on 19th July.
Currently five bridges are built on Damodar river
After Jharkhand state formation year 2000, five big bridges were constructed over Damodar river at different places under Bermo assembly constituency. In the year 2007-08, during the tenure of Giridih’s then MP Late Teklal Mahto and Bermo’s then MLA Yogeshwar Mahto Batul, a bridge was constructed from Jarangdih to Khetko over the Damodar river at a cost of crores from the special division. After this, on February 23, 2014, former minister late Rajendra Prasad Singh had laid the foundation stone of the bridge construction work on the Damodar river between Chalkari and Rambilas High School at a cost of ten and a half crores. After this, Yogeshwar Mahato Batul, former MLA of Bermo, got a bridge constructed at a cost of 36 crores in 2014-15 on Damodar river between Kargali Filter Plant and Chalkari. After this, in 2007-8 Yogeshwar Mahato Batul, former MLA of Bermo, got the bridge constructed by the special division between Angwali and Phusro. A bridge was also constructed on the Damodar river between Bhandaridah-Tantri at a cost of 34 crores with the efforts of former minister late Jagarnath Mahato and former MLA Yogeshwar Mahato Batul.
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There are four bridges on the Damodar river within a radius of 20 km.
There are three big bridges on the Damodar river within a radius of just 20 km in the Bermo assembly constituency, one between Jarangdih to Khetko, the other between Rambilas Uvi to Chalkari, the third between Kargali Filter Plant to Chalkari and the fourth from Bhandaridah to Tantari. The bridge has been constructed in the middle, whereas before the year 2000, due to lack of a single bridge in this area, the people living on the other side of Damodar river were completely cut off from the area of Bermo block. People had to come to this area after traveling many kilometers away, but now due to the construction of many bridges, people have become very comfortable. Now administrative approval has been given for the construction of the fifth bridge between Jaridih Bazar and Chalkari within this 20 km radius.
DR&RD’s Danger bridge gives death guarantee
It may be noted that in the 80s, when the foundation stone of the DR&RD project was laid in the B&K area of CCL, the construction of a bridge at a cost of crores was started with the aim of diverting the railway line to Phusro via Jarangdih-Chalkari, but neither Till date, the rail line has been bent and neither the dream of rail operation from this route could come true. A half-built bridge was built by the Railways over the Damodar river between Jaridih Bazar and Chalkari at a cost of crores. After this, the B&K management installed a slab on the bridge a few years ago for one-way traffic. After that, railing has also been installed from the left side of the bridge to go from Chalkari to Jaridih on behalf of CCL management. Still this bridge is in a very dangerous condition. Every day, apart from hundreds of villagers, students pass through this bridge on foot. While passing through the bridge, many people have lost their lives by falling 200 feet below into the Damodar river. Now people have heaved a sigh of relief after getting approval for the construction of a bridge on Damodar river between Chalkari and Jaridih market.
those who survived became crippled
So far, more than three dozen people have died due to falling from the semi-constructed bridge between Jaridih and Chalkari. Even if some people survived, they became crippled. Among them Rajendra Singh, resident of Chando, Sanjit Kumar, resident of Jaridih. Chalkari resident Abhishek Kumar, Chalkari resident Lakshmi Kumari, Jaridih resident Tajmul, Chalkari resident Somar Rajak, Angwali resident Laxmi Devi, Chalkari resident Daso Rajak, Upperghat Barki Kudi resident Bigan Manjhi have died after falling from the bridge.
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