Newly built approach road to bridge caves in after heavy rains in Dehradun
The newly constructed approach road to a bridge in Dehradun’s Premnagar caved in on Tuesday, July 28, following heavy rains, disrupting vehicular movement, officials said.
The bridge, which underwent repairs, and the approach road were opened to the public on July 12 after the temporary replacement bridge was washed away on the same day following torrential rains.
The temporary bridge had been built after the previous one was damaged during a natural disaster in September last year.
The repaired bridge and the newly constructed approach road were built at a combined cost of Rs 16 crore.
Officials said that the bridge’s main structure remained safe and intact, but torrential rains washed away the soil beneath the approach road, causing a portion of it to sink in.
They further said after receiving information, police and local administration conducted thorough inspection of the bridge located over the Tons River at Nanda Ki Chowki.
They added that technical teams, along with police and administrative officials, are present at the spot, carrying out repair work at a “rapid pace”.
Dehradun District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan also inspected the site alongside a team of technical engineers and directed officials to restore the road as quickly as possible.
The incident has drawn sharp political reactions, with the Congress party alleging corruption, saying a bridge repaired at a cost of Rs 16 crore could not even last 16 days.
Senior vice president of Uttarakhand Congress Suryakant Dhasmana criticised the government and the administration, saying they were trying to hide their failure.
"The approach road is an integral part of a bridge, and you cannot shirk your responsibility by merely claiming that only the approach road sank," Dhasmana said.
Dhasmana demanded the dismissal of the state's Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satpal Maharaj and requested that a case be registered against the engineer who supervised the bridge's repair work.
