Title - New Sutlej bridge to help revive rural economy

Gidder Pindi (Jalandhar) : The new Rs 60-crore bridge over the Sutlej, linking the Doaba and Malwa regions, is all set to boost the economy of the underdeveloped Lohian and Makhu townships and hundreds of adjoining villages located in this hinterland of Punjab.The bridge, formally opened on September 4, has reduced the distance between Jalandhar and Ferozepur by around 30 km, as it offers a direct and more efficient link between the Doaba and Malwa regions.It has also brought a relief to commuters hailing from the two regions. Earlier, they had to face a lot of hardships, delays and inconvenience while using the century-old rail-road bridge over the Sutlej.As the old British-era railroad bridge, considered to be unsafe for the high-volume traffic, used to get closed to vehicular traffic in the evenings after 7 pm, commuters on the Jalandhar-Ferozepur section were left with no choice but to take a detour via the Kawanwala Pattan bridge. Even during daytime, vehicle owners were put to harassment for they had to wait for long durations to cross the bridge, particularly on the Ferozepur-Jalandhar section.

“Commuters were virtually left at the mercy of the railway staff manning the rail posts at the bridge, as it was natural for them to give preference to rail traffic. Even if there was no rail traffic, the bridge was opened to vehicular traffic on one side at a time, causing delays for commuters,” said Shubhendhu, a resident of Lohian Khas.

The new bridge was also expected to give a big push to the economy of the areas falling on both sides of the river. Owing to lack of direct connectivity between Lohian (Jalandhar) and Makhu townships (Ferozepur), trade had almost come to a halt particularly during the period of turmoil in the state. “As people preferred the Kawanwala Pattan route to the old railroad bridge due to restrictive flow of traffic on the old bridge, the businesses had almost come to a standstill. The uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic may now lead to development of new businesses like petrol pumps and “dhabas” in the area,” said Surjit Singh, a resident.

Residents, farmers in particular, said they were happy as the prices of their lands were likely to go up with the opening of the new bridge.“We hope the area will lose the status of being underdeveloped. The bridge has brought a fresh wave of enthusiasm among people,” said Niranjan Singh, a farmer.

MAJOR BOOST

Lohian-Makhu bridge to benefit underdeveloped parts of Doaba, Majha
Constructed on the Sultanpur Lodhi-Makhu road
Replaces the century-old British-era railroad bridge
Completed in a record time of two and half years