Neglected footbridge collapse near Pune sparks structural safety audit across Maharashtra, ET Infra
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A structurally weak iron-and-concrete footbridge over the Indrayani river that had been declared unfit for use but not officially shut to pedestrians and bikes collapsed Sunday about 40km from Pune, killing four people and injuring 51, eight of them critically.One person was reported missing after falling into the rain-fed river at Bhegdewadi, just over a kilometre from the picturesque Kunda Mala vista that attracts hordes of tourists. More than a 100 people were on the footbridge when a portion of the structure gave way close to the stone bank of the river around 3.30pm, state minister for water resources and disaster management Girish Mahajan said. The footbridge connecting Shelarwadi, close to the old Pune-Mumbai highway, with Kanhewadi near Indori is a vantage point for people visiting the area at this time of year to enjoy the surroundings."The crowd on the bridge was beyond its capacity. There is a signboard warning people against standing on the bridge, but it seems everyone ignored it," Mahajan said.Umakant Dalvi, a survivor, said the bridge was so crowded that there was no space for anyone to move. "There were also some bikes on it, which made it worse. Everyone started running towards the main road as the structure heaved and collapsed," he said. Pimpri Chinchwad DCP Vishal Gaikwad identified three of the victims as Chandrakant Sathle, Rohit Mane and Vihan Mane. The identity of the fourth victim wasn't immediately known.Eight of the 51 injured were discharged from hospital after treatment. The Maharashtra govt announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, fire brigade and other agencies used cranes to lift the collapsed iron structure to extricate two bodies by evening."We will resume the search for the other bodies and the missing person early on Monday," Pimpri Chinchwad police commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey said.PWD officials said the footbridge was built over three decades ago and handed over to the Pune Zilla Parishad, which remains responsible for its upkeep. The state govt recently sanctioned Rs 8 crore for the construction of a new bridge parallel to the existing one, with work scheduled to begin after the monsoon.Local authorities, including the village sarpanch, had flagged the bridge as unsafe.Kunda Mala is a popular weekend getaway, especially during monsoon, to witness the Indrayani waters cascading from a rocky area that gives it the effect of a waterfall. Barely a week ago, Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi passed an order listing several restrictions for people visiting rivers, lakes, waterfalls and other popular weekend spots during monsoon in Lonavla and other places in the district.CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who is also Pune's guardian minister, condoled the deaths in separate messages while ordering an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the tragedy. Eknath Shinde, the state's other deputy CM, said a structural audit of similar bridges across the state would be done soon.Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI, "A five-member committee will be constituted to investigate the bridge collapse."
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