KUMTA(UTTARA KANNADA): A bridge under construction at Tharibagilu in Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district across river Aghanashini caved in, enraging the public.
After years of demand by the people of Hegde, Tharibagilu and other places, the work on the bridge connecting Hegde and Tharibagilu began a year ago. But the bridge caved in on Wednesday afternoon.
Bhasker Patgar, a local Kannada activist, said three girders crashed and the bridge too collapsed. “Fortunately, at the time of the accident, labourers working on the bridge had gone for lunch. If they were working at the time, human lives too would have been lost,” he said. He lashed out at the contractor for the substandard work. The project is being executed by D’ Costa, a company in Kundapura that has constructed several bridges in the state.
Those who fought for the bridge for long are disappointed. “We protested, agitated and submitted several memorandums to the government for the construction of the bridge. It became a reality only when Kota Srinivasa Poojary became the district minister and Rs 18.20 crore was allocated,” said Manjunath Patgar, a resident of Hegde.
Another activist Raghavendra Gunga said the bridge would have saved about 11 km from Kumta to Mirjan. “Our villagers had realised that the construction was bad and warned the contractor that this would be a disaster. But he went ahead with the work without heeding them,” he said.
The bridge has damaged a crane, an earthmover and a vehicle under it. The villagers are now demanding a quality test of the bridge. Local officers and Kumta MLA Dinaker Shetty visited the spot.