Kendrapara: A portion of an under-construction bridge over the Gobari river in Odisha’s Kendrapara town collapsed Wednesday after some of its concrete slabs caved in, police said.
However, there was no report of any injury, the police said.
The district administration has instituted an inquiry into the incident, an official said.
An inquiry has been instituted to ascertain the exact cause leading to the bridge cave-in. A technical team will probe into it to find out whether the quality was compromised in the construction work, said Kendrapara Collector, Amrit Ruturaj.
“There was no design or structural flaw in the under-construction bridge. All parameters were met with. The design was also approved by the roads and development department but somehow this has happened. We are investigating the reason behind the incident. With this incident, the schedule will be delayed by a few months”, said Khirod Behera, executive engineer of the R and B Division.
The foundation stone of the bridge was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik November 8, 2016. The construction work of the 60-metre-long bridge started in 2017.
It was just a miracle that nobody died in this under-construction bridge collapse, said Fakir Charan Khatua, a local resident.
The local people alleged that the quality of construction was heavily compromised.
The authorities have missed the deadline for the construction of the bridge in 2021. Now the construction work will be delayed after a portion of the under-construction bridge caved in, said Hrusikesh Panda, a resident of Garapur village.
PTI