New Delhi: The Public Works Department (PWD) plans to depute armed security guards in northeast Delhi’s Signature Bridge to curb theft and damage to its infrastructure, officials said on Thursday.
According to them, one guard with a gun will be deployed mostly at night when theft incidents increase.
“There have been several incidents, including theft, happening at the bridge. Sometimes the thieves attacked our guards with knives. Hence, we plan to deploy one guard with a gun at night for safety purposes,” a senior PWD official said. Two guards without guns will also be deployed during the daytime, the official added.
The first asymmetrical bridge in Delhi was opened for public use in 2018. Built by the tourism department at a cost of more than Rs 1,500 crore, the bridge has been in the news for suicide incidents, most recently in July last year, by a Delhi University student. The maintenance of the bridge is maintained by the PWD following a request by the tourism department, citing a lack of funds. The PWD has issued a tender of Rs 1.5 crore under the annual maintenance head to deploy the security guards in eight-hour shifts. They must not be above the age of
55 years and must speak English and Hindi.
The bridge connects Outer Ring Road with other areas in Wazirabad, Karawal Nagar, and Bhajanpura and provides connectivity to Grand Trunk Road, Shahdara flyover, and further towards Ghaziabad and ITO. pti