Pul Doda was once a bustling town on the Batote-Kishtwar National Highway, also known as National Highway 244. The town was known for its bridges that connected the National Highway to the city of Doda. However, due to the construction of the Baghlihar Dam, the town was submerged into the river Chenab several years ago.
In 1957, a second suspension bridge was built in Pul Doda during the time when Jammu and Kashmir had its own Prime Minister, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. Throughout its history, there were a total of six bridges in Pul Doda, but three of them have either disappeared or collapsed. One of the foot bridges collapsed in 1967 and the last bridge, which was on the Neeru river, is now almost submerged in the river. The remaining bridges are a suspension motorable bridge and two concrete bridges.
The suspension bridge was made of wood and iron and was built by the Gammon Company in 1957. According to reports, this suspension bridge will soon be removed. The locals of Pul Doda remember this bridge as the only bridge of its time that connected the National Highway to the Doda area. It was closed in 1997 after a concrete bridge was built near it.
One local resident reminisced about the days when people would reach the suspension motorable bridge and they would come out of their vehicles. The drivers would cross the vehicle without any passengers and then the passengers would cross the bridge by foot and get back in the vehicle on the other side. This was done out of fear for the safety of the suspension bridge.
Now, the town of Pul Doda remains a shadow of its former self, with only a few remaining bridges as a reminder of its past. The suspension bridge, once a symbol of connectivity and progress, now stands as a reminder of the destructive power of nature and development.
Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times