Just before the resumption of the Char Dham Yatra, about 45 villages in the Gangotri valley have lost road link with the district headquarters due to the collapse of a bailey bridge across the Asi Ganga river in Uttarkashi district on Sunday. The bridge also facilitates road link to the Indo-China border region in Uttarkashi district. No fatalities were reported in the incident. The exact cause of the collapse is not yet ascertained with the district administration seeking a report on the incident.
The Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Chauhan and Superintendent of police Dadan Pal reached the spot and inspected the collapsed bridge. The District Magistrate formed a committee headed by Additional District Magistrate to look into this incident. Committee members have been directed to submit their report within seven days.
Meanwhile, due to collapse of this bridge, apart from the locals, the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Force personnel also faced difficulties in transporting ration and other commodities on Sunday. Official sources state that an alternate bridge is being made by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). It should be mentioned here that the bailey bridge had been constructed about three months ago by the BRO. Collapse of the bridge on Sunday left villages in the Asi Ganga valley, Upla Taknaur, Nald Kathur and about 45 villages of Bhatwadi block without proper road link. The Uttarkashi SP Dadan Pal said that additional police force has been deployed at the site and senior officers are monitoring the situation. This is an important bridge in the region and BRO officials are making alternate bridge to avoid inconvenience to the commuters. Observers opined that Char Dham Yatra is slated to resume later this month. Apart from this, the strategic importance of this region also heightens the importance of the bridge. Questions are also being raised about the attention being paid by the State Government to quality and technical soundness in execution of various infrastructural development works across the State. This correspondent attempted to contact the BRO official on the phone but communication could not be established.