Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, I would like to clarify that the incident to which the hon. Member is referring to occurred on 21 April 2025 and not 21 February 2025. Secondly, I wish to emphasize that bridges and footbridges are constructed throughout the island on both classified and non-classified roads. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as regard classified roads, that is, motorways A and B roads. These fall under the responsibility of the Road Development Authority which as the highway authority is responsible for the construction, care, maintenance and improvement of these roads and related structures. The RDA maintain an inventory of all classified roads and associated structures including vehicular and pedestrian bridges and culverts which form an essential part of national road network. In order to preserve these assets and ensure their structural safety, the Bridge Management System was set up in 2012. The BMS serves as a comprehensive audit mechanism which enables the RDA to maintain a detailed database of bridges, record the structural defects and formulate a priority list of maintenance and rehabilitation works based on condition indices. Since the establishment of the BMS, 21 bridges have been rehabilitated or reconstructed on a priority basis. The RDA has recently reassessed the condition of bridges on classified roads island-wide and updated the inventory accordingly. A list of bridges

67 requiring intervention has been prepared and implementation will be carried out gradually over the coming financial years given the significant investment involved. At present, the construction of 3 bridges namely, Grand Sable, Beau Champ and Ramdine, Eau Coulée is ongoing and is expected to be completed within this financial year. In addition, contracts for the John Kennedy bridge at Vacoas and the Royal Bridge at Port Louis near hotel Pakistan have been awarded and works will commence shortly while bidding documents for the Haute Rive bridge and Riviére du Rempart have already been launched. With regard to footbridges, there are presently 20 located along classified roads. In recent years, RDA has undertaken the construction or rehabilitation of six of these and a further three footbridges – Mapou, Pamplemousses, and Calebasses along the M2 are being rehabilitated in the 2025-2026 financial year as part of the RDA’s ongoing programme. All these works are carried out with a focus on safe passage for road users and the long-term integrity of our road network. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as regards non-classified roads which fall under the responsibility of local authorities, I am informed that following the Tranquebar incident, no comprehensive island-wide structural audit has been carried out for bridges and footbridges under their purview. This is mainly due to a lack of in-house technical expertise such as structural engineers and the absence of dedicated funds which limit their ability to conduct detailed assessments. Local authorities across the island have varying capacities to manage their bridges and footbridges. Some, such as those in Vacoas-Phoenix and Quatre Bornes, rely mainly on visual inspections and require external expertise for comprehensive structural assessments. In Curepipe, most bridges are reported as structurally sound although a few require urgent repairs while enlargement works are being undertaken by the National Development Unit. In Savanne, the Pont Rouge footbridge has been found to be severely damaged, whereas other bridges have already been repaired. In Moka, major reconstruction works have been completed, while in Rivière du Rempart and Grand Port, attention is being given to minor repairs, with major works requiring external support. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Ministry will provide technical guidance and collaboration as and when requested to support local authorities in maintaining bridges and footbridges falling under their purview.

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Hon. Dr. Ms Daureeawo, do you have a question?

Has the Ministry received any complaints in relation to the current state of our bridges and footbridges?

As far as I can see, I have not received any formal complaints, even by the local authorities yet.

Yes, hon. Babajee!

I will ask the Minister if he has got any complaints in regard to the Tamarin bridge which started yielding…

He does not have any complaints.

…at the start and as a matter of urgency, it is the only way to go to the West. If so, can we have a look as a matter of urgency?

Among the 21 bridges which have rehabilitated and reconstructed on a priority basis, I can see Tamarin bridge is in the list.

Hon. Third Member for Rivière des Anguilles and Souillac! ISLETS AROUND MAURITIUS – ECOSYSTEM PRESERVATION –TRADE & TOURISM ACTIVITIES REGULATION