Rains, flood stall traffic in Junagadh.
Incessant rains and heavy flood caused widespread damage to roads and bridges on the state highways in Junagadh district. The district has received an average 60 inch rainfall during the second half of July this monsoon.
Now water-logging and bad roads are causing heavy traffic jams in Junagadh and Veraval, two of the main cities of the region, since the last couple of weeks.
Bridges on the entry points of both cities got damaged and partly collapsed. Bridges over the Sonarakh River on the outskirts of Junagadh and over Devka River on the outskirts of Veraval city have been closed to traffic.
Bhanabhai Amin Transportwala, a Junagadh based-transporter said: “The road to and from Junagadh is experiencing a heavy traffic jam. Only one-way traffic is being allowed to ply on the Sonarakh river bridge and that too, only for light vehicles. Heavy vehicles, including trucks and buses, have to use the approach road via the by-pass for entering the city, which is putting a lot of pressure on the approach roads here.”
Transportwala said kilometer-long queues are a common sight between Dolatpara and Vadal area. Around 400 truck operators and passenger buses have to take a detour for entering the city, which is increasing the pressure on the approach roads, he said.
Junagadh Mayor Satish Ahir(Satish Captain) said: “Construction work for the repair of the Sonarakh river bridge is under progress and will be completed soon. The situation will remain same till the repair work is completed.”
The situation at Veraval is more serious though. The bridge over Devka River is badly damaged and has been closed for traffic. The bridge is located on the entrance of Veraval city. As such, all traffic has been diverted towards the by-pass, forcing the drivers to take a 15-km detour.
In addition, all approach roads including the by-pass are dotted with potholes, and passing through this road is proving to be a nightmare for drivers, sources said. According to officials, the construction work for the repair of Devaka River Bridge is yet to begin, but the procedure for the same is under progress.
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