7 months ago
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A conception of a astir 75-year-old overbridge successful Indore has collapsed with a subordinate of the civic corporation's mayoral assembly blaming rat infestation for the cave in, a assertion junked by civilian engineering experts who said it was caused by deficiency of attraction and postulation surge.
Officials said a conception of the Shastri Bridge, located connected a engaged roadworthy successful the Madhya Pradesh city, collapsed connected Sunday (November 2, 2025), creating a five-by-seven-foot hole.
They said pursuing the incident, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has started fixing the cavity and was besides carrying retired further structural repair enactment connected the bridge.
Rajendra Rathore, in-charge of the Public Works Department successful the IMC's Mayor-in-Council, told PTI on Tuesday, "There is nary structural defect successful the Shastri Bridge. However, determination is simply a menace of rats connected this bridge. Large rats person dug galore burrows adjacent the footpath, hollowing retired the bridge. This caused a conception of the span to sink."
Mr. Rathore noted that to combat the rat infestation, the footpath of the Shastri Bridge is being reinforced with a caller furniture of cement-concrete, and citizens person been advised not to springiness nutrient oregon drinks to needy radical sitting connected the operation arsenic these items pull rodents.
The repair enactment connected the span has been sanctioned astatine a outgo of ₹40 lakh, helium informed.
Officials said the repair enactment is being carried retired according to standards of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) and based connected recommendations of civilian engineering experts from the city's Shri GS Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS).
SGSITS is simply a government-aided autonomous institution.
One of these experts, speaking connected information of anonymity, said, "The sinking of a conception of the Shastri Bridge is simply a aftermath up call. The postulation unit connected the span is perpetually increasing, and this incidental is simply a effect of inadequate maintenance. Rats unsocial could not person caused specified a ample cavity successful the bridge, and this incidental is simply a effect of structural distress."
According to standards, each span older than 25 years should acquisition regular investigating of its spot and load-bearing capableness to destruct the anticipation of accidents, helium suggested.
