NEW DELHI: Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 nationwide lockdown, the Borders Roads Organization has built a permanent bridge on the river Ravi to connect the Kasowal enclave of Punjab along the Pakistan border to the rest of the country.The 484-metre long road bridge to the Kasowal enclave, which is around 35 square km, was till now connected through a pontoon bridge of limited load capacity. "The pontoon bridge used to be dismantled every year prior to the monsoon to prevent it from being washed away in the strong currents of the river," said a defence ministry official on Wednesday."This meant thousands of acres of fertile land across the river could not be tilled by farmers during the monsoon. The local population as well as the Army required a 'Class-70 permanent bridge' to give all-weather connectivity to the enclave," he added.The BRO had planned to open the Kasowal bridge, which cost Rs 17.89 crore, in time for "Baisakhi" so that the farmers could transport their harvest to the market comfortably."But the work came to a halt due to the lockdown on March 23. To ensure the people there do not suffer during the harvest season and the bridge also does not get damaged because of the heavy discharge of water, BRO approached the Punjab government and Gurdaspur district administration to obtain necessary approvals to continue the work. And it has been completed now," he said.