Walter de sa, Principal of St. Xavier's College, Mapusa, Goa

A link between Karwar and Goa on NH 66, a 40-year-old bridge across Kali River collapsed suddenly on Wednesday midnight. Nearly 200 metres of the carriageway has collapsed but pillars are intact. An FIR has been filed. No casualties were reported but a 37-year old truck driver Bala Murugan from Tamil Nadu landed in the river along with the vehicle. The truck, registered TN-36 B-9997 and owned by Tamil Nadu-based SSM Transport Company, was traveling from Goa to Hubli at the time of the collapse. The vehicle, which was empty after delivering a load of coal. He was stranded on the bonnet of the truck. After the bridge collapsed the truck also fell into the river and was completely submerged and only the cabin was visible in the water. Fishermen and the police team in the surrounding area took the boat and rescued the driver. M. Narayana, SP informed that the truck driver was stuck on a part of the carriageway that had collapsed and saved his life. He is now admitted to Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital. "I was driving alone when the accident occurred. I am surprised to be out of danger, and the whole incident has left me in shock. I am thankful to everyone who helped rescue me," Murugan said.Immediately, a team of officers including Uttarkannada District Superintendent of Police Narayan, ASP Jayakumar and DSP Girish rushed to the spot. District Collector Lakshmeepriya, MLA Satish Sail who got the information from the police also visited the spot in the middle of the night and got the information. Inaugurated in 1962 the bridge is situated at the confluence of the Kali River and the Arabian Sea. A new bridge opened in 2019 built alongside during the expansion of NH-66. The new bridge will help lessen the traffic load and it runs parallel and takes traffic to Goa, 13km. away from the border town. According to estimates, reconstruction of the new bridge would cost Rs. 100 crores now. Goa has written to Centre to permit two-way traffic on the new bridge as vegetables and other food consumed in Goa are brought from Belagavi. SP Karwar informed that the movement of heavy vehicles has been suspended temporarily and only light vehicles will be allowed on the new Kali bridge. To check the strength of the new bridge an official letter has been sent to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). District Collector Laxmipriya has ordered NHAI to inspect the quality of the new bridge constructed by IRB (Infrastructure and Development Corporation) company. He has also suggested submitting a report on the quality of the bridge within 12 hours. Traffic on the new bridge has also been banned until the bridge quality report is received. Due to this, the traffic from Karwar to Goa is completely blocked. Search operations continue in the river, led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), coastal police, and local fishermen. Authorities are investigating whether any other vehicles or locals were affected by the collapse. As the investigation unfolds, traffic in the area has come to a standstill, with many commuters waiting near the site. The police have also filed a case against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the IRB company responsible for the bridge's maintenance at the Karwar Nagar police station.

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