Rourkela: A portion of a bridge in Rourkela collapsed Monday, cutting off at least 13 villages and Rajgangpur from the steel city here in Sundargarh district.
The bridge connecting Laing village till Mandir dam collapsed after the mud underneath caved in, sources said.
According to sources, the bridge was built back in 1962 by Rourkela Steel Plant. Hundreds of residents of around 13 villages depended on the bridge on a daily basis.
However, the decade-old bridge had developed cracks due to excess plying of heavy vehicles. Locals had alerted the officials concerned to repair the bridge. Under pressure, the bridge was repaired in 2007.
However, the bridge caved in again Monday night, causing severe traffic problem. Villagers of the 13 villages were cut-off from the rest of the world following the bridge collapse.
The worst sufferers were residents of Khurajudihi, Mandir dam colony, Laing colony, Ursa, Ursa colony, Manjhimunda, Kheraposh, Tumerjor, Bantibahal, Jharbeda, Sarumohan, Chunaghati and other villages under Rajgangpur and Kuanrmunda block.
After getting information, RSP authorities reached the spot and took stock of the situation. Meanwhile, the authorities swung into action and started inspecting the reason of the bridge.
Moreover, sources said, the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) will start the construction of a bypass Tuesday to connect the villages.
RSP authorities said plying of heavy 16-wheel vehicles on the bridge led to the collapse.
PNN