Uttarakhand: PWD suspends contractor over damaged bridge approach road

Uttarakhand's PWD suspended Himalayan Construction after a bridge approach road on the Dehradun-Paonta Sahib Highway was damaged by flash floods. An investigation cited scouring beneath the protection wall as the cause of the failure.

Contractor Suspended Over Damaged Bridge Road

The Uttarakhand Public Works Department (PWD) has taken major action against the contractor company in connection with the damage to the approach road of the bridge over the Tons River near Nanda Ki Chowki on the Dehradun-Paonta Sahib Highway. The department has suspended Himalayan Construction with immediate effect and barred the company from participating in PWD tender processes until further orders.

The reconstruction and strengthening work of the previously damaged bridge over the Tons River at Km 143 of National Highway-72, near Uttaranchal University, was underway. The work had been awarded to Himalayan Construction, 250 Sarthi Vihar, Dehradun, under Contract dated January 31, 2026. Following heavy rainfall and flash floods on the morning of July 28, 2026, the bridge's approach road was damaged. A departmental investigation found that the damage occurred due to scouring beneath the upstream protection wall, which led to the failure of the approach road.

Uttarakhand Weather Update

Rainfall Recorded Across Districts

Meanwhile, several parts of Uttarakhand witnessed fresh spells of rain today, with Hatibharkala in Dehradun district recording the highest rainfall of 21.0 mm after 08:30 hrs IST today. According to data released by the regional meteorological department, rainfall activity was recorded across various stations through both Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and manual observations.

In the AWS (Automatic Weather Stations) category, following Hatibharkala, Mussoorie recorded 12.0 mm, while Vikas Nagar saw 10.0 mm of rainfall. The state capital, Dehradun, recorded 7.5 mm. Other areas including Bhimtal (5.5 mm), Maldevta (2.5 mm), Mohakampur (1.5 mm), Ukhimath (1.5 mm), Jainti (1.5 mm), and Liti (1.0 mm) also received light showers. Regarding manual observations recorded after 08:30 hrs IST today, Mussoorie registered 6.2 mm of rain and Pithoragarh recorded 0.3 mm. Meanwhile, Jollygrant reported 'trace' rainfall during the same period.

Heavy Rain Alert Issued

A weather alert has been issued for Uttarakhand, with heavy to very heavy rainfall predicted at isolated locations in the Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, and Chamoli districts tomorrow. According to the weather warning, these three districts are likely to witness thunderstorms accompanied by very intense to extremely intense spells of rain and lightning.

"Heavy to very heavy rain likely to occur at isolated places in Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand. Thunderstorm accompanied with very intense to extremely intense spells of rain and lightning likely to occur at isolated places in Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand," the warning stated. (ANI)

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