Shortcut turns deadly as warnings ignored

A rusty, old bridge in north Delhi's Roop Nagar area was never just a crossing; it was a crucial effort-saving shortcut for hundreds of locals who could not dispense with it despite its unsafe status and signs of decay.

On Tuesday morning, a portion of the bridge connecting Roop Nagar and Gur Mandi collapsed around 9.15 am, killing a woman believed to be around 50 years old. Police said she was near one end of the structure when it gave way and fell into the drain.

Officials had declared the bridge structurally unsafe and closed it in July last year after an inspection found severe deterioration. Barricades were put up, chains were tied, and even a wall was constructed at one point to block access.

But residents on both sides said those measures rarely held. A junior engineer at the site said the wall was demolished the very next day, while police barricades were routinely crossed. “People would jump over and continue using it,” he said.

The reason, residents say, was simple — the bridge cut down a nearly two-kilometre detour and remained the most direct link between the two areas.

On one side lied Roop Nagar's residential blocks; on the other, Gur Mandi and nearby colonies. Domestic workers, drivers and vendors crossed it daily for work, while residents from Roop Nagar depended on the market, dairy and services on the opposite side.

“All the domestic workers and students use this route,” a resident said, pointing out that a weekly market and a dairy across the drain see regular footfall from women and families. Students were among the most frequent users.