Mandi: Chichong bridge of Spiti collapsed, police held overloading responsible

MANDI: The Chichong bridge over the river on the Gramphoo-Kaza highway in Lahaul and Spiti district collapsed on Sunday when an overloaded dumper was crossing the bridge. The driver of the vehicle escaped unhurt. According to police, initial reports indicate that the collapse of the bridge was caused by excessive load. Following the incident, traffic was temporarily redirected from the Kiyamo bridge to ensure uninterrupted movement on the route.

Local MLA Anuradha Rana, who took up the matter with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), asked the authorities to restore traffic on the highway at the earliest. Two BRO in-charge officers were rushed to the spot and efforts were initiated to remove the dumper from the river. The BRO has assured to start construction of a new culvert soon to ease the inconvenience of local residents and restore normalcy. Rana said, “Chichong bridge is important for the connectivity of the area. I request the locals to be patient till the restoration work begins. The BRO team has reached the spot and is assessing the damage. Their efforts are expected to restore normal traffic at the earliest.”