MP: Bridge on Kuno river collapses three months after construction

BHOPAL: Touted as a ‘vikas model’, a Rs 7.78 crore bridge on Kuno river collapsed in first heavy rain that triggered flooding on Saturday evening. A half-kilometre portion of the bridge washed away in Pohri tehsil of Shivpuri district in less than three months after the bridge’s inauguration.Almost all rivers, including Kuno, Chambal and Seep in Shivpuri and neighbouring Sheopur district were in spate in the wake of torrential rains in the region . District administration sources in Shivpuri said more than 500 small houses collapsed in the rural areas of the district.A 1-year-old toddler was also feared dead after he was washed away in a swollen water body. More than 150 people were rescued from several villages on Saturday.The bridge on Kuno river was dedicated to people on June 29 this year by the Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar . He had then said the bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs 778 lakh connecting Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan , was an example of government’s commitment to development.District collector Shilpi Gupta told TOI, “Perhaps, it was constructed by the PWD. I will get a detailed report on Monday and I would recommend a thorough inquiry.Local BJP MLA Prahalad Bharti, who had raised the issue of “inferior quality construction” in Vidhan Sbaha was guarded in his reaction about the incident. Even villagers were raising the issue and had lodged the complaint with me, he said. The villagers had also raised the “inferior quality construction and they feared problem in future,” he claimed.“After heavy rainfall. Kuno was flowing four feet above the bridge, which is why it collapsed”, Bharti said.“Though only one village of my constituency was affected after the incident, I still want an inquiry to know reasons behind the collapse,” Bharti said.In neighbouring Sheopur, a decadeold-record of heavy rainfall was broken after more than 120 mm rainfall pounded the area on Saturday-Sunday. Kuno washed away a long patch of road connecting the district with Shivpuri.After heavy rain, the Sheopur-Shivpuri road was riddled with craters as big as two feet in size. The road was constructed earlier this year. After the rains stopped on Sunday, water in all rivers in the area receded.