Sunderban Affairs dept sends report to state Secretariat over bridge cave-in

Kolkata: The Sunderban Affairs department has sent a report to the state Secretariat on the incident in which a portion of an under-construction bridge over river Kalnagini at Kakdwip had collapsed on September 24.

Sources said it has been stated in the report that some problems in setting the girders on the pillars of the bridge had led to the incident.

Besides stating the reason behind the incident after preliminary investigation, the Sunderban Affairs department has also sought opinion of experts from the state Public Works Department (PWD).

It may be mentioned that the state PWD carries out most of the bridge construction and maintenance work. Hence, its opinion has been sought in this connection. Though it is yet to get finalised, a visit to the spot by the PWD engineers cannot be ruled out.

Experts from the PWD will be giving their suggestions on the reason behind the incident and at the same time, the experts will also give their opinion on how the remaining work of the bridge can be completed. It is learnt that the intervention of IIT Roorkee has also been sought in this connection.

It may be recalled that the construction of the bridge had started in January 2016 with a target of completing the project within two years. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 13 crore. Hence, the work was going on in full swing.