Multiple Factors Behind Chakki Bridge Collapse: Punjab to HC

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The Punjab government has told the Supreme Court that there were several factors that led to the collapse of the Chakki railway bridge connecting Pathankot in Punjab with Kangra in Himachal Pradesh in Punjab.

The Supreme Court had asked for a report on this in August, when some lawyers before the court alleged that it was illegal mining that was responsible for the bridge collapse.

The British-era bridge on the Chakki River collapsed on 20 August due to heavy rainfall in the area. It collapsed weeks after it was declared unsafe by the railway authorities.

The government has told the court that an inquiry was conducted into the incident by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Pathankot, and in the report he has suggested that the cause of the collapse should not be attributed to just one factor in view of the technical nature and complexity of the factors. A detailed hydrological and structural investigation is necessary to understand an overall picture of the incident, the report states.

It was due to the reduction of the stream width and the presence of a confluence point just upstream of a bridge that led to the displacement of channel flow. The report also said that there was also obstruction of a raft-like structure created by the railways under bridge number 32. This factor has also become important as NHAI has categorically sought permission to make breaches in this platform to achieve flow of water across the entire bank of Chakki -river to protect the National Highway Bridge on NH-154.