Bajrang Bali to GQ’s rescue in Bihar

SASARAM-BARACHATTI,Mounted on the front of an earthmoving machine working on a bridge across the Sone, part of the Delhi-Kolkata Golden Quadrilateral, is a small idol of Lord Hanuman.

The stretch was considered particularly problematic, and after delays caused by design failure and the like, engineers seeking to meet the new December 2006 deadline have sought divine intervention.

“In all work we need God’s blessings,” says project manager Jay Shankar of ATL Constructions, which is working on the bridge. “The failure was due to design fault. But with Lord Hanuman’s blessings, we are moving ahead smoothly. Now, less than a kilometre of the bridge remains.”

Last week, the Centre had blamed Bihar’s law-and-order situation for non-completion of a 40 km stretch of the Delhi-Kolkata section of the Golden Quadrilateral in Bihar. The 3 km bridge forms part of this problem stretch.

But although security is cause for concern, engineers say the real cause of delay was faulty design: the piling method, by which the bridge was initially meant to be constructed, failed. Then, a return to the old-fashioned “well method” was proposed. But for one-and-a-half years there was no progress.

The locals, however, were sure that the wrath of Lord Hanuman was responsible. They advised the engineers to seek his blessings to bridge the turbulent Sone.

The engineers of ATL Construction, which has been contracted for the work, accepted. They have mounted a Lord Hanuman image on the main machine. After work is completed, they plan to install it on the river bank in a temple they will construct. “Ab Bajrang Bali sab sankat door karengey (Now, Lord Hanuman will solve all problems),” says an elderly labourer.

There are two problem stretches. The first, the 30-km IV-C section from Sasaram to Dehri-on-Sone, has seen delay due to the number of bridges it has: apart from the bridge across Sone, there are eight small and mid-size bridges, besides a 20 km Sasaram bypass. About 75 per cent work has been completed now.

About law and order, resident engineer R V Shakhadev of Lee International South Asia Pvt Ltd, a consultant for the stretch, says: “Some contractors have faced kidnap threats. But for us it has not been a problem. Work is proceeding smoothly and will be completed by November.”

The other problem stretch is the 12 km from Sherghati to Dhobi, on the Aurangabad-Barachatti V-A section. Here, too, law and order problems are not apparent, for in the last six months no police station has received kidnap cases or those of ransom demands.

“Today the police will save me. What will happen tomorrow?” asks an engineer from Orissa. But locals have another take: they say that construction companies are blaming Bihar, with its notoriety for law and order problems, for their own failures in execution.

“Look the law and order situation is the same for everybody. When many companies have finished their work why are only some lagging behind?” asks Pankaj Singh, who runs Sone Breeze Hotel in Dehri.

Perhaps they all need to invoke Lord Hanuman.