Collapse of six bridges raises questions on repair quality
RUDRAPRAYAG: Six bridges have so far succumbed to the first monsoon rain this year in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, raising questions on the quality of repair by engineers who were given a ‘clean chit’ by the ruling Congress.
The valley bridge built over the confluence of the Mandakini river and Songanga rivulet at Sonprayag after the 2013 disaster looked vulnerable even before the recent flash floods that a damage the bridge and closed the traffic to Gaurikund. A Hindustan Times photograph taken on June 12 shows the one end of the bridge was not resting on the cemented abatement but on the dry bed of the stone wall. The worst of fears came true and the bridge collapsed on the first onslaught of monsoons in the region. The swollen river washed away the dry stone wall built to support the bridge.
Mulayam Singh, the superintendent engineer of Rudraprayag public works department, told HT the bridge was built by the Border Road Organisation after the 2013 disaster and handed over to the PWD for its maintenance.
The valley bridge was constructed to connect the motor road up to Gaurikund on way to Kedarnath but the swollen Mandakini shifted its course about 5 meters towards the bridge and damaged it, he said. Wire crates were also built around the stone wall to protect the bridge, he said. The severe damage to the bridges have raised questions over the repair, but CM Harish Rawat has given the engineers a “clean chit”. On Friday, Rawat told a local newspaper that the damage was due to the fury of nature and that the engineers are not at fault.