Sanggam Bridge Collapsed: Truck with 3 persons fell in the river still untraceable
NDRF and SDRF have been requisited and they are searching for the dead bodies.
PASIGHAT- (By– Maksam Tayeng)- In yet another setback for the people of Siang district and Upper Siang District after Trans-Arunachal Highway connecting Pasighat and Pangin/Boleng was cut off near Rottung village, some 36.6 KM from Pasighat on Sunday, the another lifeline bridge over Siyom river, popularly called Sanggam bridge due to location of the bridge at the confluence of Siyom and Siang river, was collapsed today morning at around 8.30 am.
As per Atul Tayeng, Dy. Commissioner, Siang District, The Sanggam Bridge collapsed, at around 8.30 am this morning due to an overloaded dumper truck laden with chips, crushed stone. The truck with three persons also fell in the river and are still untraceable.
Tayeng also informed that NDRF and SDRF have been requisited and they are searching for the dead bodies. The persons fell into the river with a dumper truck and persons falling into the river are Mitingga Boro, Ranjit Sutrodar and Rahul Tamang, are said to be from Assam.
Meanwhile, DC Siang has directed for a magisterial enquiry into the bridge collapse incident after paying visit to the incident sites today morning along with Ojing Tasing, MLA Pangin-Boleng and Supt.of Police. And people travelling to Boleng are advised to take Pasighat-Mariyang and Likhabali-Basar-Aalo road. As per sources, the BRTF/BRO will take at least a month to reconstruct a bridge over the river.
Sanggam bridge despite being the only one connectivity, life-line of the people of the upper Adi belt upto the Indo-China border was miserably noticed to be completely neglected by the BRTF authority for the past many years.
This bailey suspension bridge over river Siyom located at Siyom-Siang confluence in Siang district was terribly observed to be an outdated or expired in layman words by every commuters who are bound to pass through this weak bridge, said Joluk Minung, President, Adi Baane Kebang Youth Wing, the youth wing of Adi Baane Kebang (the apex & appellate body of the Adi tribes).
The same bridge whose foundation was inaugurated in the year 1967 just after 5 years of Chinese aggression in 1962 was once washed away by the massive unnatural flood that occurred on 11th June 2000. When the road connectivity was totally cut off strategically as felt by the defence ministry then, the same bridge was again restored within two months by installing the old and used bridge equipment with the same foundation. Since then there was no proper maintenance and repairing of this bridge by the BRTF authority despite its strategic importance, added Minung.
This weak bridge which has now completely collapsed should have been properly manned with strict statutory warning for its maximum load capacity. BRTF authorities are completely responsible for collapsed of this Sanggam Bridge. In comparison, this Sanggam Bridge is much more important than the newly inaugurated Simang Bridge. First priority should have been given to Sanggam bridge to construct a RCC bridge.
It’s too late now, a very unbelievable and unbearable incident this time again. The Defence ministry of India should have also realized the strategic importance of this bridge through which only daily ration items along with heavy arms and ammunitions are transported for the Indian army manning the Indo-China border, resented Minung while blaming the BRTF for neglecting the construction of the collapsed bailey suspension bridge, Sanggam.
Meanwhile, the incessant rain in the region has caused massive destruction in many parts including road blockade along National Highway-52 in between Pasighat-Roing and also Pasighat-Mariyang in Trans Arunachal Highway.
