Telangana bridge collapse: Residents of Peddapalli district in Telangana were met with a terrifying sight on Monday night as a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed, raising concerns about the safety of infrastructure projects in the region.
The Telangana bridge collapse occurred around 9:45 pm, with two concrete girders giving way out of the five spanning between two pillars approximately 100 feet apart. The incident was reportedly triggered by strong winds blowing through the area, leaving locals apprehensive about the stability of the remaining girders.
Remarkably, just moments before the collapse, a marriage party consisting of 65 people on a bus had passed through the area, narrowly avoiding being victims of the Telangana bridge collapse.
Sirikonda Bakka Rao, former sarpanch of Odedu village located 600 meters away from the site, recounted the fortunate escape to NDTV, highlighting the potential tragedy that was narrowly averted.
The nearly one-kilometer-long bridge, spanning across the Manair river, was inaugurated in 2016 by the then Telangana assembly Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary and local MLA Putta Madhu.
A substantial sum of Rs 49 crore was allocated for the construction of the bridge, intended to shorten the distance between the towns of Manthani, Parakal, and Jammikunta by approximately 50 kilometre. The bridge was designed to connect Garmillapallu in Tekumatla mandal in Bhupalpalli to Odededu in Peddapalli.
However, the project faced setbacks, with reports indicating that the contractor had ceased work within a year or two due to pressures related to commissions and outstanding payments from the government.
Locals also pointed out that the same contractor had previously constructed a bridge in Vemulawada, which was washed away during heavy rains in 2021.
In the absence of the completed bridge, villagers had resorted to using a makeshift mud road under the structure for the past five years. Sandeep Rao, a local resident, highlighted concerns about the project’s escalating costs, with an additional Rs 11 crore reportedly added to the estimated cost despite less than 60 percent of the work being completed.
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