By TC News Desk
Agartala, 19th October 2024: A 16-wheeler lorry crashed through an iron bridge over the Sharma River in Gandacherra sub-division on Saturday causing the bridge to collapse and the vehicle to plunge into the river. The incident resulted in severe injuries to one person, Chittaranjan Biswas, a resident of the 60 Cards area, who was on the bridge at the time.
The Sharma River lies between the 60 Cards and 30 Cards areas of Gandacherra, spanned by an iron bridge that locals have long petitioned to be replaced by a concrete structure. Although the Public Works Department initiated a project five years back to construct a concrete bridge, the contractor, Rajib Prasad has only completed less than 50% of the work, far beyond the project’s original deadline.
On the day of the incident, the lorry bearing registration number TR01AT-1860, was loaded with stones and en route to the 30 Cards area from Gandacherra. The vehicle’s excessive weight proved too much for the iron bridge, causing it to collapse and the lorry to fall into the river below. “The bridge has collapsed once before, around 8 to 9 years ago, and was rebuilt following local demands,” a local resident recalled.
The collapse has severed the vital communication link between Gandacherra and Amarpur, severely impacting local commuters, including students of Gandacherra College who rely on the bridge for their daily travel. The injured Chittaranjan Biswas was swiftly rescued by locals and taken to Gandacherra Sub-Divisional Hospital for treatment.
An official from the Public Works Department explained that the lorry was significantly overloaded, surpassing the iron bridge’s load capacity of 10 tons. “The bridge was not designed to handle such heavy loads, leading to its collapse. Legal action will be taken against those responsible for overloading the vehicle,” the official stated.
Efforts are now underway to repair the damaged iron bridge within a week, but the incident has heightened calls for the urgent completion of the concrete bridge. “The bridge must be repaired within a week, and the construction of the concrete bridge should be expedited to prevent further accidents,” a local resident demanded.
