Balasore: A bridge over a coast canal collapsed in Inchudi area of Odisha’s Balasore district on Wednesday following torrential rains for the past couple of days, disrupting road communication with several places.
A portion of the bridge near Kalamatia under Remuna block caved after heavy downpour triggered by depression battered many parts of the state, sources said adding that the road also leads to the premier Integrated Test Range (ITR) of DRDO at Chandipur.
Soon after the incident, villagers of the area blocked the road on both sides of the bridge in order to stop vehicles from moving on the route as a precautionary measure.
While school students were unable to proceed on the road and had to go back home without taking any risk, said a villager adding “the bridge is not fit for vehicular movement. It is highly unsafe to travel on the bridge as a major portion has collapsed.”
Stating that the bridge was constructed in 2014 at a cost of Rs 14 crore, a former Sarpanch from the area said the quality of construction work appeared to have been poor. Villagers wanted the height of the approach roads to the bridge to be increased, but their plea went unheeded and the work remained faulty, he claimed.
The officials concerned were informed about the incident and the local residents demanded immediate steps for reconstruction of the damaged bridge in order to restore normalcy in movement on the road.
Appropriate steps are being taken and restoration work would be taken up once weather conditions improve and rain subsides, official sources said.
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