BRTS flyover reopens for traffic, plastic kite string tangled in poles cleared

A day after the BRTS flyover at Batala Road was closed for commuters, the traffic police reopened it for public. Police officials claimed that the flyover was closed temporarily to remove the plastic string which was entangled on both sides of the flyover. ACP (East) Gurinderbir Singh said, “After the death of a Verka resident due to deep cuts inflicted by plastic kite string, we closed the bridge as we observed that a huge quantity of string was entangled in the poles of the flyover. The Police Commissioner spoke to the MC Commissioner in this regard and to prevent any unfortunate incident, the bridge was cleared with the assistance of the Municipal Corporation after its closure. Additionally, cases have been registered at various police stations in Amritsar against the sale, storage and use of Chinese string and strict action is being taken.” The BRTS flyover on Batala Road is now open for traffic, said Gurinderbir Singh.

The police is also searching for the sellers who sold the fatal string to the residents of the area, which led to the death of Guramritpal Singh of Verka on October 15. The officials claimed that as BRTS flyover is located in a densely populated residential area, there are chances that flying plastic kite string may harm the commuters. So two-wheeler riders should not travel at high speed on the flyover, they said. “Amritsar police is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all,” the ACP added.

Meanwhile, with the administration closing the BRTS flyover and diverting the traffic to Batala road, commuters witnessed a lot of inconvenience while commuting on the potholed stretch. Due to the pathetic condition of road, there were traffic jams during the peak hours as a trench in the middle of the road reduced the speed of vehicles. It is worth mentioning here that the Batala road had been dug up for laying the 24X7 canal water supply pipelines last year. The Municipal Corporation had started recarpeting the road, but it is incomplete till date.