Patna: A speeding SUV coming from Hajipur broke an iron rod boundary near pillar number 38 of Mahatma Gandhi Setu and plunged 50 feet into a swollen river Ganga early on Tuesday morning.
It was not clear how many people were in the SUV. Officials from the Patna and Hajipur district administration, with help from eight rescue teams, four each from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), had failed to trace the vehicle after scanning the place for over seven hours.
Repair work (rehabilitation of the western flank) on the 5.575km-long Gandhi Setu is on since last June. The accident also exposes commuters on Gandhi Setu to mishaps.
The mishap occurred around 5.30am. A motorist on the bridge informed guards deployed on the Setu that a speeding SUV coming from Hajipur had broken the iron boundary rod and plunged into the river. Pillar number 38, near which the mishap took place, falls under the jurisdiction of Hajipur district administration. Getting information from the guards, the Patna and Hajipur administrations started rescue operations.
"NDRF and SDRF teams started rescue operations around 8.30am but because of heavy currents, the vehicle could not be traced," said Ravi Kant, second-in-command of NDRF, Bihta. "Anchors having magnetic rings were used to fish out the vehicle. Teams spread out till 5km on the Patna City side to locate the vehicle but in vain." The spot where the mishap took place was 40 feet deep, hampering rescue efforts.
NDRF personnel claimed that apart from the eyewitness statement, the Setu's iron rod boundary wall was damaged, indicating the accident had taken place. Later in the day, the broken boundary wall was being repaired as it posed a threat to commuters.
Apart from rescue teams from the NDRF and SDRF, Hajipur and Patna district police too were at work, checking for details of the SUV through CCTVs installed at both ends of the bridge. "We're going through CCTV footage at both ends of the bridge to find out which vehicles entered the Setu from Hajipur and exited from Patna side," SP (East) Rajendra Singh Bheel said. But the police had failed to locate the vehicle as the CCTV on the Patna side was not functioning properly. "There is still no clarity on the vehicle or number of people in it," SP Bheel said. "We'll be able to get details by tomorrow."
Commuters said it was dangerous to travel on the stretch. Jai Prakash Sahu, a Shastri Nagar resident who uses Setu daily, said: "The stretch where repair work is on is very dangerous. As only one flank is open to commuters, there is always the fear of a big casualty."
The ministry of road transport and highways, which is carrying out restructuring of the Setu, has selected AFCONS-SIBMOST JV to execute the project. Rehabilitation work entails dismantling the Setu superstructure and replacing it with a steel structure at a cost of Rs 1,382.40 crore by May 18, 2020. At present, the agency is dismantling the western flank of the Setu and it is expected to be ready by December.
