Incomplete bridge crashes on Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi corridor
Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 May, 2023 10:44 AM
Nashik, May 9 (IANS) A portion of an under-construction bridge coming up on the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway in the Ghoti area of Nashik area has crashed, officials said here on Tuesday.
According to a police official, the bridge, which will connect Gangadwadi and Belgaon-Tarhale in the Igatpuri taluka, was being constructed with cranes when it suddenly collapsed around 7.30 p.m on Monday.
There are no casualties in the incident, the work has been stopped, the causes are being checked and the crash site vicinity has been cordoned off, said the official of Ghoti Police Station, declining to be quoted.
The bridge is a link in one of the most difficult terrains on the 701-km long 'Hindu HridaySamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg' Phase I, that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 11, 2022.
The work on the remaining around 181-km long Nashik-Mumbai section is currently being implemented at a fast pace, and the bridge crash is likely to delay the completion of the Rs 55,000-crore mega-project.
The bridge accident has raised questions on the construction quality, processes and materials as well as proper site supervision especially since the HHSBTMSM will reduce the travel time between Mumbai-Nagpur from the current 16 hours to barely 8 hours.
However, the Samruddhi Expressway has already earned the sobriquet of a 'killer highway' with over 95 deaths and more than 300 accidents on the Nagpur-Nashik stretch currently functioning. (IANS - May 4, 2023).
An NGO, Council for Protection of Rights (CPR) Chairman barrister Vinod Tiwari has written to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and others pointing out at the complete lack of 'halts' or other basic amenities and facilities that are leading to accident on the expressway.
He has demanded that the HHSBTMSM be closed for all traffic till all the facilities like drinking water, baths-toilets for men and women, food courts, petrol stations, mini shopping plazas, are provided as promised by the government and travel on it becomes absolutely safe and accident-free for people.
While addressing a rally of BJP workers in Assam' Dibrugarh, Shah also expressed confidence that the BJP will be victorious in at least 12 out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. According to him, the party is set to win big in the entire northeast, which accounts for a total of 25 seats in Lok Sabha.
The Chief Minister said Guru's supreme sacrifice as protector of 'dharma' was unparalleled in the history of mankind and stands out as an example for humanity. He said this museum is a humble tribute to this great Sikh Guru who made unparalleled sacrifices to uphold the value of righteousness, truth and freedom of faith.
The Air India flight AI 111 scheduled to operate on the Delhi-London-Heathrow route returned shortly after departure. An FIR was lodged as the accused person allegedly misbehaved and caused physical harm to two of the cabin crew members.
The daily positivity rate was at 6.91 per cent while weekly positivity rate stood at 3.67 per cent as per the data released by the Ministry. The active caseload currently stands at 35,199. The recovery rate is at 98.73 per cent.
The accused were identified as Sonu Kumar, 27, his brother-in-law Sandeep, and Jony alias Rocky, all residents of Haryana. Police said that they have recovered 113 ATMS cards of various bank, and two PayTm machines from the possession of the accused, and claimed to have solved 14 cases of cheating with the trio's arrest.
The livestock sector, he said, with rapid growth is becoming a major contributor to the growth of the agriculture and allied sector. "The livestock sector is likely to grow by 4.18 per cent in 2022-23," Cheema said, while adding the livestock sector's share in total Gross State Value Added (GSVA) of Punjab was 11.1 per cent during 2022-23.
