Collector had declared Indrayani river bridge as dangerous; locals put up warning boards: Fadnavis

Mumbai: A day after the dilapidated Kundamala bridge over the Indrayani River in the Maval tehsil of Pune district collapsed claiming four lives and injuring 51 others, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that the structure was declared “dangerous” by the district collector.

He added that tourists might not have been aware of the severity.

Meanwhile Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of Pune district, assured proper action in the matter.

The NDRF-led Search and Rescue (S&R) operation at the site was wrapped up on Monday.

“The structure had been declared dangerous by the district collector before the incident, and villagers had also placed warning boards. Tourists might not have been aware of the severity of the bridge's condition,” Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister, told reporters in Palghar district.

Shinde said the incident would be thoroughly investigated and strict action would be taken against those responsible. Besides, structural audits of all bridges across the state’s rivers would now be conducted to prevent similar tragedies.

Pawar, who is also the Pune district guardian minister, has instructed the district administration to conduct a thorough probe into the collapse of the bridge. “Preliminary information indicates that the condition of the bridge was dilapidated. Therefore, instructions have been issued to the administration to conduct a thorough investigation into this accident, and I assure that if any negligence is found regarding maintenance, strict action will be taken against those responsible,” he said.

Five two-wheelers also fell into the river after the bridge collapsed. The vehicle owners have been traced.

Initial investigations said that more than 125 persons were present on the bridge when it crumbled because of the load.