JOIN US'Negligence led to bridge collapse'
In a report submitted to the State government, on Thursday, the Task Force said even as the work to revamp the bridge was going on, the cables and pylons on the 226-metre-long pathway had corroded. “The cables were not replaced for 8- and-half years on the bridge.
The bridge could not sustain the weight of the people working on it thereby resulting in the collapse,” said the Chairman of the Task Force, G A Vishwanatha.
Headed by Vishwanatha, the Task Force comprises 10 experts from various fields of construction activities. Six of its members are from the private sector, three are former government officials and one member is the present Secretary for Public Works Department.
The bridge that connected the UNESCO protected site of Hampi with Anegundi, a taluk in Koppal district was nearly 90 per cent complete and had cost Rs 7 crore before the construction was stopped. The construction was to be completed this year when tragedy struck killing eight people. In all, 42 people were working on the bridge at that point of time.
The task force in its report has suggested that the new bridge which is being contemplated by the government should be constructed two kilometres downstream from the current location. Stating that the debris of the old foundation would obstruct in rebuilding the bridge at the same location, Vishwanatha sated that it would be easier to begin afresh on the bridge.