In the midst of intense rain, a footbridge that was under construction and cost Rs 1.58 crore to connect the Swena and Narsoo areas of Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, collapsed.
Chander Subhash, District, Narsoo Development Council, called for action to be taken against those found guilty and stated that a technical defect investigation to be carried out. He also called for a speedy reconstruction of the bridge.
“The demand was long overdue. People were joyful as construction began. Narsoo and Sewna are two blocks that are connected by the bridge. We notified the department, the local MLA, and Union Minister Jitendra Singh about the incident, and they dispatched teams. To find out whether there might be a technical issue, an investigation should be carried out. We request that it be reconstructed as quickly as possible. “Action should be taken against whoever is found guilty,” Chander told ANI.
As unfortunate incidents go, this one was a serious one in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir when an under-construction footbridge crashed due to heavy rain. The site is in Ramnagar, where laborers had been working on a bridge meant to aid pedestrian connectivity. While there are no early reports of deaths, injuries have been confirmed, and rescue operations were initiated at once by the district administration.
The area had been experiencing incessant rains, added to the woes of workers and local residents. Eyewitnesses recalled a sudden snapping of the structure, which was followed by chaos, as bystanders nearby rushed to assist the affected. The authorities have stated that a detailed investigation will be carried out to ascertain whether the engineering process followed any protocols or safety standards.
“The district administration learned a few days ago that someone had notified DC ma’am about a footbridge that collapsed because of rain between Dharmsthal and Narda. The bridge, which cost Rs 1.58 crore to build, has been in progress for one and a half years. The bridge was in the process of being launched. Singh told ANI, “Its binding might not have been done correctly, which most likely caused the collapse.”
Infrastructure and Monsoon: Deadly Combination for Himalayan Regions
The monetary issue of collapse does not stop there though. Among landslides and washing away of roads, one could say that, whenever rains set in, a trial is kept against civil infrastructure within the mountainous regions of India. The question regarding the timing of the construction work in a very peak monsoon and obvious vulnerability of the materials employed has already begun to haunt the Udhampur case.
Also, this incident revived debates about the quality of constructions by the government in sensitive zones. The immediate necessity for a comprehensive revision and updating of design codes, procedures for risk assessment, and the rigid enforcement of safety checks is stressed by experts, particularly in flood-prone zones.
While the administration is still busy with overhead relief works, people remained in fear, and engineers are reassessing the ongoing projects in the region. This incident serves as a grim reminder that underestimation of the natural forces could sweep aside all the human planning and effort.
“We asked the appropriate department and talked to residents on the spot. Following a comprehensive review, we discovered that the department had made certain mistakes in its oversight and monitoring. The investigation continues. We’ll forward the report to DC ma’am and let them know about any necessary remedial actions,” Singh continued.
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