BHUBANESWAR: Two persons were killed and one seriously injured after an under-construction sidewall of a bridge in Cuttack city collapsed on Wednesday evening, police said.
Police said the under-construction side wall of the bridge connecting Chhatra Bazaar to Malgodown collapsed at around 7pm. “Of the 3 persons who were trapped under the debris and later rescued by ODARF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) personnel, two succumbed to their injuries,” said Cuttack deputy commissioner of police Prateek Singh.
Officials said renovation work of Taladanda Canal was going on in the area when a huge chunk of earth at one end of the Chhatra Bazar bridge caved leading to the collapse. While local traders blamed it on the contractor who is doing the renovation of Taladanda Canal and the adjoining road, Cuttack district collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani said a probe will be ordered.
There have been several incidents of bridge collapse in Odisha over the last 5 years.
In January this year, a portion of an under-construction bridge under the Biju Setu scheme over a rivulet in Kendrapara district collapsed but luckily there was no casualty. In May 2021, an under-construction bridge of the National Highway-16 caved in Panikoili area of Jajpur district. In January 2021, a labourer was killed and 3 others critically injured when an under-construction bridge under the Biju Setu scheme in Nabarangpur district collapsed.
In April 2020, a portion of the bridge over Suktel river in Balangir district collapsed killing two and injuring another two. Following the incident, the Odisha Lokayukta in November last year started prosecution of 6 people including an executive engineer who passed the bills in favour of the executing agency despite the “substandard work done in collusion with the officials of the rural development department”.
{{/usCountry}}In April 2020, a portion of the bridge over Suktel river in Balangir district collapsed killing two and injuring another two. Following the incident, the Odisha Lokayukta in November last year started prosecution of 6 people including an executive engineer who passed the bills in favour of the executing agency despite the “substandard work done in collusion with the officials of the rural development department”.
{{/usCountry}}In October 2018, at least 14 labourers were injured when a part of an under-construction bridge being constructed by National Building Construction Corporation collapsed at Bonai in Sundargarh district. The accident occurred when one of the spans of the bridge collapsed. Similarly, in September 2017, a 39-year-old businessman of Bhubaneswar was killed and 14 others injured when an under-construction flyover in the busy Bomikhal area of the city collapsed.