A day after the hanging bridge tragedy in Morbi of Gujarat that left more than 150 people dead, the Cuttack district administration on Monday decided to shut the Dhabaleswar suspension bridge for a day on Tuesday to undertake a safety inspection.
Cuttack district Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani informed this. The suspension bridge over the Mahanadi connects the Dhabaleswar temple at Athagarh.
“The safety inspection will be carried out on the basis of the report of a technical team. The movement of people on the bridge will be restricted. If needed, the bridge will be completely shut in view of the safety inspection. Fire Service and ODRAF personnel will be deployed near the bridge. We appeal to people to visit the temple by boats,” said the Collector.
Athagarh Sub-Collector Hemanta Kumar Swain also appealed to people to visit Dhabaleswar in less numbers. The administration has arranged several boats for the devotees to reach the temple, he said.
Meanwhile, since the condition of the bridge is in danger, the Sub-Collector clamped prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC around the Dhabaleswar shrine for an indefinite period.
Several cracks have developed in the bridge and some of its pillars have been rusted, following which the administration has set a limit that 200 devotees can cross the bridge at a time,
The bridge, which was constructed in 2006, has a capacity to carry 600 persons at a time. The hanging bridge has become weak. Movement of over 200 people at a time is prohibited,” read a poster put up by the Rural Development Department at the bridge.
The 254-metre-long suspension bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 358.39 lakh.
As per sources, an expert team from Kolkata would carry out a detailed inspection of the bridge.