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‘Material failure’
behind bridge collapse
Army confirms 34 deaths
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service
Kharo (Kinnaur), September 9
Army authorities after roll-call today morning confirmed 34 casualties
in the bridge collapse on Thursday here on the national highway-22 while
the inquiry team that arrived from the headquarters of Western Command
(Chandimandir) has indicated “material failure” behind the incident.
No body was recovered from the Sutlej when the news was last filed. A senior Army official posted here said that they had lost two officers, one JCO and 31 jawans in the bridge collapse. Total 73 Army personnel were deputed to construct the bridge. He said that a few Army personnel gone missing yesterday had returned to the camp office late last night. These missing personnel had launched rescue operation after the incident and were in the field till night, he said. Brigadier PS Sanghera here from the headquarters of Western Command for an inquiry of the incident, after inspecting the material used in the bridge told The Tribune that it was a ‘material failure’. “The collapse of the bridge at the launching stage indicates that something was wrong in the material that was used
to construct the bridge”, he said. He said material used to construct the bridge would be tested at the laboratory for proper inquiry into the incident that claimed many lives”, he added. Brigadier GD Chada who also came here on the spot this morning told The Tribune that efforts were on to pull out remains of the collapsed bridge from Sutlej. When the reports last came, remains of the bridge could not be pulled out as a snag developed in a recovery vehicle of the Army. Later, a private recovery vehicle was called from Jai Prakash Associates but it also failed to pull out remains of the bridge. Brigadier Chada added that the 18 Engineers Regiment would soon begin re-construction of the bridge and he would monitor the work. “I have set-up my camp here and will monitor the construction work,” he added. Director-General of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Lt-Gen K.S. Rao was also expected
to visit the spot today but weather played a spoilsport to his visit.
Mr Subash Negi, Principal Secretary, Tribal Development and Revenue Government of Himachal Pradesh visited spot and held a meeting with District Magistrate Dr Amandeep Garg and other senior officials of the administration.It was decided at the meeting to launch a special search operation for one week to recover the bodies at many points in a distance of 65 km on Sutlej. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBPF), the district police and the homeguard would comprise search operation team. This would be in addition to the search operation under progress by the Army. Earlier, the local lamas and jomos performed the last rites of the deceased Army personnel on the spot as per Buddhist traditions and customs. Villagers of Riba set-up a langar for Army personnel who had come from outside and stationed temporarily on the site as part of the inquiry, rescue and search teams. Meanwhile, the only mode to cross Sutlej from Kharo to Riba, Rispa and Skiba villages was the small trolley set-up by the Army as an alternative arrangement. CHANDIGARH: Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff, Western Command, Lieut-Gen P.K. Grover, today visited the affected families in K-Area, near here and expressed his condolences over the tragedy. One of the deceased officers, Lieut-Col Amarjeet Singh is from Mohali. His father, Mr Ravinder Singh, has retired as a manager from Punjab Tractors Limited. He has one sister, Mona. According to neighbours, Colonel Amarjeet had joined the Army about 15 years ago after studying at Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, and then doing his B.Sc in a local college. Neighbours described the family as social, friendly and helpful. He was married to Manreet about eight years ago and had two children, seven-year old Gulnaaz and three-year-old Fateh. Manreet’s family stays in Sector 39 here. The Army did not allow entry to media-persons in K-Area where the unit to which the soldiers belonged is located. 
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