In India most of the bridges are of the British era. Many of them are very old  but still  in use. We never know when those bridges  are going to collapse. But still we use them for our daily travelling. The same  took place in Maharashtra.

A bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway collapsed late last night, bringing traffic to a complete halt. Approximately 80 per cent of the bridge collapsed according to the local officials.

Two buses with 22 people were missing and a few other vehicles are feared to have been swept away.

The bridge had completed its 100 years. Despite this an officer certified in May that the bridge was good for the traffic.

Raising the issue in the state Assembly, former CM Prithviraj Chavan said a judicial probe should be conducted and action taken against those guilty of allowing the old bridge to remain open for peoples.

Public Works Department Minister Chandrakant Patil added that an expert team from the IIT would assess the stability of all old bridges in the State.

NDRF teams are already activated. 4 NDRF teams comprising 115 personnel including divers along with 12 boats were immediately rushed to Maha bridge collapse site.

The Coast Guard has deployed a Chetak helicopter to carry out search for people.

The Minister said “We were planning to shut it down soon after a new bridge was constructed next to it in 2001. However, it continued to be functional considering to the demands of locals. The two parallel bridges were used for one-way traffic. The new bridge was also closed down immediately after old bridge collapsed but has stated operating again after sometime.

Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde also demanded an inquiry and action against the officers.

(prepared from media sources by Seema Kumari)

  bridge, Goa