NEW DELHI: Over
100 bridges in different parts of the country are on the verge of
collapse and need immediate attention, union transport minister Nitin
Gadkari said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The startling
information came to light after the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways completed a safety audit of 1.6 lakh bridges in the country and
more than 100 structures were found to be in an unsound state.
"These 100 bridges can collapse anytime and they need immediate attention," Gadkari said during Question Hour in Lok Sabha.
The
union minister informed the Lok Sabha that the transport ministry had
last year launched a special project to organise data regarding all
bridges and culverts in the country as part of measures being taken to
avert mishaps.
Gadkari also recalled a tragic bridge collapse in
Maharashtra’s Raigad district last year. 26 people lost their lives when
two buses and some private vehicles were swept away when a British-era
bridge over the Savitri river near Mahad collapsed on August 2, 2016.
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