Mumbai, 17 June

Former Maharashtra minister Ravindra Chavan on Tuesday demanded a probe into why the construction of a new bridge over the Indrayani river in Pune did not commence despite Rs 8 crore being sanctioned for it last year.

The BJP leader's remarks came two days after four persons died and 18 were injured in the collapse of a 35-year-old bridge on the Indrayani river in Pune's Maval tehsil.

The bridge that collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Kundamala area was built in 1993 and was not fit for use, but people who gathered there ignored warning signboards and more than 100 persons got on to the structure, officials earlier said.

Speaking to reporters at the BJP headquarters, Chavan said when he was the Public Works Department (PWD) minister during the previous Mahayuti government, he sanctioned about Rs 8 crore in October 2024 for the construction of a new bridge at the same site, as the existing one was old and unsafe.

"Today, I spoke to PWD minister Shivendraraje Bhosale and other officials, requesting them to conduct a probe into this accident," he said.

"Issues like why the bridge construction work was not undertaken will be probed. If any official is found responsible for deliberate delay, action will be taken," he said.

Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi on Monday said the tender for a new bridge to come up in place of the one that eventually collapsed was floated some months back, while the work order was issued a week ago.

It takes 15 days to start the work from the day of the work order so its construction will begin shortly, he added.

Pune-based social activist Vijay Kumbhar, however, claimed the date on the work order was written by hand and not typed like rest of the text.

"The entire work order is typed, but the date is written by hand, which raises suspicion. There is a chance that a backdated work order has been shown to save the skin, especially after such a fatal accident," he charged.

More than 100 persons were on the 32-year-old iron bridge, a popular spot for tourists and picnickers in Kundamala area of Maval tehsil in Pune, when it collapsed around 3.30 pm on Sunday, resulting in the death of four persons and serious injuries to 18 others.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had targeted Chavan and the Mahayuti state government over the bridge collapse.

According to Dudi, the bridge had been declared unsafe, but 100 persons were on it, and most of them were busy taking selfies.

"A committee will be formed to probe lapses, if any, on the part of the local administration and to check if standard operating procedures should have been implemented. The incident occurred despite warning signs and an existing order banning large gatherings in the area," he said.

The bridge was declared unfit for vehicular traffic, while a new structure had been proposed for vehicles, he said.

Maharashtra Minister of Disaster Management Girish Mahajan earlier said the bridge collapsed under the weight of a large number of tourists.

"The bridge was meant for pedestrians only, and there was a warning board stating that it cannot be used by two-wheelers. It seems people on the bridge did not heed these instructions, which caused the incident," Mahajan said.