Close shave for labourers as under-construction bridge collapses in Odisha’s Kendrapara

The labourers engaged in construction of a bridge at Kendrapara had a close shave when it collapsed on Wednesday morning.

No casualty or injuries were reported in the mishap.

As per reports, the bridge is being constructed over the southern part of Gobari river and meant to connect the Kendrapara bus terminal with Tinimuhani.

The bridge, which was inaugurated in 2016 and being constructed by the PWD, reportedly collapsed just 14 hours after the slab was placed on the pillars on Tuesday evening.

The locals expressed their anger over the collapse and blamed the department for the same.

A local said, “Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the construction of this bridge to create a bypass from Tinimuhani to Kendrapara bus stand. ARSS construction company has taken the tender for this bridge. This is a result of substandard work.”

“I thank God many times that the bridge collapsed before inauguration. Had the mishap occurred after inauguration, there would have been loss of lives,” he added.

Another local, Fakir Charan Khatua said, “This bridge was constructed with substandard materials to make the Kendrapara residents suffer. The quality of work was so poor that the pillars collapsed under the weight of the slab.”

“We demand the Chief Engineer should visit the site and conduct an inquiry. All the remaining pillars should be dismantled and the work should start from scratch,” Khatua said.

Kendrapara Collector, Amrit Rituraj said, “There are no injuries or casualties in the mishap. The main bridge has not been damaged. The mishap occurred when the contractor was putting a girder over the main bridge which collapsed because of some operational fault of the contractor. An inquiry in this connection will follow after the detailed report is received.”

(Reported By Manoj Swain, OTV)