Court shuts Ajmer's Rs 243 crore bridge inaugurated days ago

AJMER: In a damning indictment of public infrastructure management, the Ajmer Judicial Magistrate Court Number-2 on Wednesday ordered to immediately close the newly inaugurated Ramsetu bridge that suffered structural damage last week after the first rainfall since its construction.

Rajasthan's Rs 243 crore project, meant to be a symbol of urban development, now stands as a monument to alleged administrative negligence and questionable construction practices.

Judge Manmohan Chandel passed the order while treating a joint suit filed by two residents as a PIL. The court has directed both the Ajmer Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the Ajmer Smart City Ltd (ASCL) to submit their responses by July 11. The suit was filed on July 5, after which court issued notices to the district collector, AMC and ASCL. None of the respondents appeared on July 8 leading to a subsequent hearing on July 9.

The closure order came on Wednesday despite the corporation's assertion that it had blocked one of the four roads on the elevated stretch. The court noted that since the same material was used in the bridge's construction, the entire structure posed a safety risk.

The court's decision came after shocking revelations that the bridge, operational for merely days, showed significant structural deterioration following the season's first heavy rainfall on July 3. More alarmingly, court proceedings revealed the project proceeded without expert consultation, and relied instead on decisions made by a local citizens' forum. The pressing question that people are now grappling with is: How did a multi-crore infrastructure project fail so spectacularly, and who will be held responsible?