CPI demands cm's resignation over Chakki bridge lapse

Dharamshala, Aug 10 (UNI) Communist Party of India (CPI) today demanded that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan, who represents Nurpur constituency, where the now collapsed Chakki bridge is located, should quit on moral grounds for ''failure to get a new bridge built well in time''.

District Secretary (CPI) and former member of the National Council of CPI Himal Chand, today, in a statement here, squarely blamed Mr Singh and Mr Mahajan for ''irresponsible attitude in ignoring the construction of the new Chakki bridge for the last many years''.

Mr Chand said this 118-year-old bridge constructed by the British rulers had lived its life but construction of a new bridge was put under carpet by successive Congress and BJP governments.

He described laying down of the foundation stone of the Chakki bridge 10 months back as an ''eye wash and politically motivated''.

He said even the tenders were not floated for this ''so-called Rs 21 crore Chakki Bridge project''.

The CPI leader said BJP too, was equally responsible for this lapse despite being in power number of times.

The strategically important life-line bridge was ignored by all the political rulers till it collapsed, Chand said.

He demanded that bridges like Manji, Bathu, Chambi, Manuni and Kotla in Kangra district, which require immediate attention of the Government, must be taken care of to prevent the possibile of major tragedies.

UNI