The district collector of Pune had declared the Indrayani River Bridge, which collapsed on Sunday, danger-prone for the monsoon season. The bridge was one of 500 identified danger-prone locations, including bridges and water bodies across Pune District.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis said this while talking to reporters during his visit to a school at Palghar.
According to authorities, warning signs were placed regarding the unsafe condition of the bridge. The bridge collapsed Sunday afternoon in the Kundamala tourist spot near Talegaon, resulting in multiple casualties. According to PTI, overcrowding on the bridge, mainly by tourists, led to the collapse of the 32-year-old bridge, killing four and leaving eighteen severely injured.
Fadnavis said that the "tourists might not have been aware of the severity of the bridge's condition. The administration had identified 500 dangerous locations across Pune district, including bridges and water bodies for the monsoon season. Notifications have been issued, and at some places, police are posted while villagers are also involved in cautioning people. We have to handle this with much more caution".
The onset of monsoons makes several locations across Pune dangerous. Fadnavis said he had instructed district collectors and police authorities to implement safety measures at the identified vulnerable spots. A compensation of Rs. 5 Lakh for families of the victims of the incident has been announced by CM Fadnavis. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis also stated that a contract for a new bridge at the site in Maval tehsil had been issued, and work has begun.
Maharashtra has been seeing an increasing number of extreme weather days each year. In 2024, the number of extreme weather days was 142 while 204 deaths occurred due to extreme weather conditions. The collapse of the Indrayani River Bridge has brought infrastructural conditions prone to damage by monsoon into the state government's attention.
