Kangra DC orders magisterial inquiry into bridge collapse
The Newz Radar
Officials from the Ferozepur division of the Northern Railway will meet Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary RD Dhiman on August 26 to plan the restoration of the British-era iconic bridge over the Chakki rivu
The Northern Railway will also chalk out a strategy to operate services on remaining portion of the line, which connects Jogindernagar in Himachal with Pathankot in Punjab.
Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal has, meanwhile, ordered a magisterial inquiry into the bridge collapse, which would be conducted by Kangra Additional District Magistrate Rohit Rathore. The probe report is to be submitted within 15 days.
The road bridge built near the rail bridge on National Highway-154 has also been closed for traffic as it has developed cracks towards Punjab side. The Deputy Commissioner has sought a reply from the officials concerned of the National Highway Authority of India seeking to know how safe the structure was from the point of view of the movement of vehicles.
Constructed by the British in 1928, the narrow gauge railway line was declared unsafe by railway officials last month and traffic on it was stopped. With the collapse of a portion of the bridge, the services are likely to remain suspended for a long period.
Seven trains would traverse over the bridge when it was fit for traffic movement. The bridge served as a lifeline for hundreds of villages residing in areas near the Pong Dam wildlife sanctuary where there are no roads and bus service. The residents of these villages used the train service to connect to cites and the Kangra district headquarters.
