Bridge crashes near Siliguri

The old concrete bridge near Siliguri in north Bengal that collapsed on Friday. Source:ABP Live

Bireswar Banerjee, TT,  Sep 08, 2018, Phansidewa (Siliguri): A 20-year-old bridge collapsed over a stream near Siliguri on Friday but no one was injured.

The 30-metre bridge on a village road in Phansidewa, 27km from Siliguri town, caved in three days after the Majerhat bridge collapsed in Calcutta and barely a month after an under-construction flyover crumbled near Siliguri.

The low bridge snapped into two while a brick-laden truck was passing over it, forming a V-shape that caught the vehicle in its crook, preventing injuries.

Trinamul ministers Gautam Deb and Rabindranath Ghosh visited the spot and blamed the Left-run Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad, which had built the bridge. They promised a probe.

Ainul Haque, Trinamul member of the Parishad, said an estimate of Rs 16 lakh had been made two years ago for repairs on the bridge but the local body hadn't acted. Parishad sabhadhipati Tapas Sarkar said the bridge would be rebuilt.

"We could see the bridge had become weak but no repairs were done. A few months ago, the block administration put up a board banning heavy vehicles from the bridge, but the board soon disappeared," said Dorothi Lakra, a local villager.