Himachal: Magisterial probe marked into Chakki railway bridge collapse

A portion of British-era bridge located on Himachal-Punjab border had on August 20 collapsed after one of its pillars caved in due to a flood in Chakki rivulet, a tributary of Beas

Kangra deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal has ordered a magisterial probe into the collapse of Chakki railway bridge on Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow-gauge in Nupur subdivision.

The bridge that collapsed following heavy rains in Chakki, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, on August 20. (Reuters)

A portion of British-era bridge located on Himachal-Punjab border had collapsed after one of its pillars caved in due to a flood in Chakki rivulet, a tributary of Beas.

Additional district magistrate Rohit Rathour will conduct the inquiry and submit a report within 15 days. Jindal said that the ADM may associate technical wing of the Railways and other stakeholder departments during the probe.

It is worth mentioning that the authorities of Northern Railway’s Ferozepur division had declared the bridge ‘near unfit’ for plying of trains on August 2.

A technical team had inspected dilapidated piers and protection wall of the bridge and recommended indefinite suspension of train services and reconstruction of the bridge. The team had detected cracks in three pillars of the bridge.

Initially, railway authorities had suspended three trains on the track connecting Pathankot to Jogindernagar in Mandi on July 1 keeping in view the monsoon season and threat of landslides on the railway line, while all services were suspended on July 17 after the damage was first detected.

Locals alleged that unregulated and illegal mining near the bridge for the past several years had weakened the foundation of its supporting pillars and protection wall.

Kangra valley railway, which is on the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites under the Mountain Railways of India category, was planned in 1926 and commissioned in 1929.

Initially, the track was meant to ferry machinery for Shanan power project in Jogindernagar and passenger services were introduced later.

This railway service is lifeline for hundreds of villages in Kangra district which are not properly connected. Thousands of commuters used to travel in the trains on this track daily before the pandemic hit.

There are about 33 stations on this route and train is the only mode of transportation in some of the remote villages of the district.