KHAMMAM: In view of the Morbi cable bridge collapse tragedy in which around 150 people lost their lives in Gujarat, Khammam district tourism department officials have decided to double-check the strength of the cable bridge across the Lakkavaram tank in the town.
The cable bridge was inaugurated by IT and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao in April 2022. The project was taken up by the Tourism department and the cost incurred was `8 crore. The length of the cable bridge is 200 metres and it is 1.5 metres wide. According to Tourism department deputy executive engineer N Ramakrishna, the cable bridge can bear the weight of 200 people and is safe.
“However, after the Morbi tragedy, we have decided to get it tested by an authorised agency. “We have identified three agencies based in Hyderabad to conduct the safety test and we are consulting them,” Ramakrishna said.
He added that not only the Khammam cable bridge, they plan to test the other cable bridges at Siddipet-1 and Lakkavaram-2. He said the agency would test the strength of the bridge by placing sandbags on it.