Overcrowding, negligence or aging structure? What led to the bridge collapse over Indrayani river in Pune
An old, narrow bridge spanning the River Indrayani at Talegaon in Maharashtra’s Pune district collapsed on the afternoon of 15th June, killing four persons and injuring fifty-one. It disintegrated at approximately 3:15 pm while carrying between 150 and 200 people. People started to panic when a portion of the packed building broke, plunging them into the swift-moving river.
The emergency response teams received the alert by 3:30 pm. “A total of 51 people are injured and admitted to different hospitals, taking treatment, and four individuals have died. Three were identified as Chandrakant Salve, Rohit Mane and Vihaan Mane and one was male but unidentified,” informed District Collector Jitendra Dudi.
The search operation is now completed as every missing individual has been found. A total of fifty-five people were rescued.
What caused the collapse
The tragedy happened near Kundamala, a prominent picnic location on the Indrayani River which had risen as a result of several days of intense rain. There is a 70 to 80 foot stone slope at the beginning of the 470-foot bridge, per a report in NDTV.
Afterward, it is joined by two iron portions that are 100 feet long and a cement portion that is 200 feet long. The bridge is only four feet wide. Shelarmala and Kundamala villages are connected by the bridge.
Officials stated that just two people and one bike can cross the bridge at a time due to its extreme limited width. Together with a significant throng, there were, however, seven or eight bikes on the bridge at the time of the catastrophe. There were apparently at least 100 picnickers on the 30-year-old iron bridge when it caved in, despite the fact that it wasn’t raining at the time.
The Maval tehsil occurrence, according to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, was the result of structural failure brought on by rust and overcrowding. “We have received various versions of the incident. As per the preliminary information, the bridge was old and rusted. Many people were standing on the bridge when it collapsed,” he pointed out, reported The Times of India.
There was a warning board prohibiting two-wheelers from entering the bridge, which was designated as a pedestrian-only structure. Girish Mahajan, the Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister, who was on the scene to supervise rescue operations, indicated that the bridge fell because of the weight of an extensive crowd.
He outlined, “The bridge was meant only for pedestrians. It seems people on the bridge did not pay heed to the instructions, which caused the incident.” He also declared that the deceased’s family would receive Rs 5 lakh as compensation.
“The bridge had become weak. The Dehu Road Cantonment Board and police have put up boards in the area and near the entry to the bridge about the danger it poses. But tourists do not heed the advice. They throng the bridge, especially during monsoon, for taking selfies and making videos,” pointed out Bharatiya Janata Party leader Balasaheb Shelar, who lives in the neighboring village of Shelarmala, reported The Indian Express.
Local police patrol the area on Saturdays and Sundays to prevent tourists from crossing the bridge. “But once police leave, tourists make their way here from different points. There is no permanent police presence here,” a local voiced.
“The area is under the Dehu Road Cantonment board. It is not feasible to post policemen on both sides of the bridge every day. The cantonment board and police have put up boards warning tourists to stay away from the bridge,” stated Joint Commissioner of Police Shashikar Mahavarkar.
Gross negligence despite regular requests
Over the past few months, Kundmala has seen a rise in the number of tourists. Authorities disclosed that approximately 8,000 people crossed the deteriorating bridge each weekend, regardless of its inability to accommodate the volume of traffic. The bridge also developed potholes, which led to two-wheelers colliding.
Locals had temporarily covered the potholes on the bridge with cement blocks as there was no long-term fix. Two years ago, the residents wrote a letter to the Public Works Department and the Gram Panchayat, demanding that the bridge be repaired and that visitors not be allowed to move across it. Nevertheless, authorities had not conducted a structural assessment of the bridge in recent years.
Additionally, there was no security in the place. The administration started stationing police personnel close to the bridge every Saturday after the villagers made repeated requests. Ravindra Chavan, a minister and MLA for the Bharatiya Janata Party, approved Rs 80,000 last year to restore the damaged bridge.
However, the repairs were not made with the funds. Digambardada Bhegde, a former MLA had called for the building of a new bridge across the river in 2017. The funds were not spent on the repair work. “I request the Maharashtra government to please provide funds for the reconstruction of the bridge over the Indrayani River. Only one person can cross the bridge. There are eight to ten villagers near it,” he wrote in a letter.
The politician added, “Farmers, workers, and students need to cross the bridge, who do it on foot. However, two-wheelers and four-wheelers cannot pass through this. We request the Public Works Department and the administration to reconstruct the bridge.” The matter also echoed in the Parliament. However, the administration disregarded the appeal.
Shrirang Barne, a Shiv Sena MP from Maval, accused the local government and police of being at fault and stated, “I held a meeting and told them that during monsoon heavy rush of tourists happens at Kundamala and they should take all precautions.”
What happened on the fateful day
A lot of people had come from neighboring towns like Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to see the rapids and the rock formations of the riverbed at Kundamala since it was a Sunday,. The Indrayani River splits here into whirlpools and little waterfalls, particularly during the rainy season.
Witnesses informed that while people crowded onto the bridge to record movies and take pictures, two-wheeler riders attempted to pass, sparking conflicts. The center of the building fell into the river at this precise instant. According to locals, they were the first to rescue people who were hurt or drowning. The district collector asserted that the fire department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other authorities were to the location in fifteen minutes.
According to officials, a local had called the police control center to alert them about the gridlock on the bridge just hours before the occurrence. Three officials arrived on the scene shortly once and dispersed the crowd. However, the mob returned as soon as the police left triggered the collapse.
“We had imposed prohibitory orders at major tourist spots. Though Kundamala was not mentioned by name, our order clearly mentions that tourists should stay away from all waterfalls and water related spots,” the district collector insisted. Last year, a new bridge was approved and on 10th June, a work order was issued.
Witnesses unveiled that the iron bridge swayed for around five minutes before succumbing to the combined weight of multiple two-wheelers and visitors. According to a person, locals rushed to the scene to start rescue efforts as screams rippled through the air. “I struggled for 15 minutes in the water and finally held a pipe and came out,” he voiced.
A second witness who was on the location reported that there were at least fifty individuals on the bridge when the fatal incident unfolded. “People had their scooters and motorcycles parked on the bridge. Nobody paid heed to danger signs,” she charged.
People recall terrifying ordeal
A man who was admitted to the hospital narrated his distressing experience. He stated that a large crowd had assembled on the bridge, causing the road to become congested with vehicles approaching from both directions. The crowd congregated in one area, leading to the incident. “People standing in the middle of the bridge were swept away. We fell on the stones and got injured,” he added.
An individual noted that there were over 150-200 people on the bridge, however, there were more than 50 individuals at the specific location where the bridge gave way. He revealed that there were five to six bikes present and a traffic jam transpired. His brother pulled down two people amid the panic due to the damage on the other part of the bridge.
They fled downwards to save their lives. “It is God’s grace that my family is safe,” he mentioned. Another person also recounted the horrifying ordeal and thanked Lord Ram for protecting him and his family. “Today is the rebirth of me and my family,” he expressed.
“I must have been on the bridge for 10-15 minutes. There was a huge rush. I think at least 200 people had jammed the bridge. There were also some two-wheelers trying to get through the surging crowd. When the bridge suddenly collapsed, at least 50 people fell on each other. Some were swept away by the strong current of the water,” revealed an eyewitness.
He added, “When the bridge got overcrowded, the middle portion collapsed suddenly. Local villagers rushed in and saved some of the tourists. I myself pulled out two tourists. I saw at least four people being swept away by the strong current.”
“There was a notice pasted on both ends of the bridge which prohibited the entry of two-wheelers but no one heeded it. The situation was so grave that protective grills were installed on the bridge around 10 days back,” stated another person while emphasising that more than 150 people were on the bridge at the time of the instance.
The injured were being treated at three hospitals, based on district officials. An investigation regarding the absence of police presence in spite of the area’s popularity during the monsoon season has also been ordered. The Pune Zilla Parishad’s additional CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Chandrakant Waghmare stated that it was unclear who was in charge of maintaining the bridge.
He, then, assured, “But action will be taken.” The district collector mentioned, “We have decided to set up a five-member committee to find out whether the structural audit of the bridge was done. We will also find out whether the bridge was declared unsafe.” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the relief efforts as all three offered condolences over the disaster.
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