Deogarh: A major disaster was averted as a bridge on National Highway-49 over Bentasula Nullah at Bania-Kilinda about five km from here collapsed in the wee hours of Saturday. Thankfully, there was no traffic along the route at the time of the incident.
The bridge collapsed after heavy rainfall that lashed the area late Friday night and washed away the soil beneath the middle column of the bridge in the nullah. As a result, the column depressed with cracks appearing on its surface as it collapsed with a thud at 6.30 am. The bridge collapsed at a time when there was no vehicle on it.
The bridge collapse disrupted traffic on the Kolkata-Mumbai route. Traffic from Chhattisgarh to Kolkata also passes along this route.
Hundreds of cargo laden trucks were seen stranded on both sides of the route leading to a heavy traffic jam.
Locals swung into action and prevented vehicles from approaching the bridge from either side.
Over 1,500 heavy vehicles ply daily on the bridge and as such, the bridge collapse will highly affect trade and commerce with the two metropolitan cities of Mumbai and Kolkata, locals said.
The cargo vehicles were left stranded due to absence of any alternative route as work between Riamal and Deogarh stretch on NH-200 is yet to get completed. An alternative route to reach the NH-49 from Deogarh police station square via Samantrapalli, Suguda to Kalakatha Square is narrow and can only accommodate small cars.
Meanwhile, due to ongoing construction work of Ranchi-Vijayawada highway, floods triggered by heavy rain washed away an under-construction bridge at Samantarapalli following which communication from the district headquarters of Deogarh to Barkote block, Pallahara in Angul, Keonjhar and Bonai and Rourkela in Sundargarh district was disrupted.
On being informed, additional district magistrate(ADM) Bhakta Charan Pradhan, tehsildar Subrat Nayak, ASP Devi Prasad Dash, SDPO R Mohapatra, police IIC Ratnakar Mallick rushed to the spot and took stock of the bridge collapse.
The engineers of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) also reached the site and made a review for construction of a transit and alternative road. NHAI assistant chief engineer Pitabas Sethy reached the site in the afternoon and reviewed the situation while directing the executive engineer to immediately start construction of an alternative bridge on the nullah.
Later, a private construction firm Durga Constructions was assigned the task and was asked to start work on the new bridge within three days.
The firm after being assigned with the project is learnt to have started work from Saturday evening, reports said. PNN
