Under-Construction Bridge Over Jatinga River Collapses In Assam’s Cachar Amid Heavy Rain

Cachar: Continuous rainfall across Assam’s Barak Valley took a dangerous turn on Friday when a section of a bridge under construction over the Jatinga River collapsed, with its central span crashing into the water. The incident has raised questions over the quality of infrastructure works and the safety of ongoing projects in the flood-prone region.

According to reports, the structure, linking Purandarpur and Badarpur in the Barkhola constituency of Cachar district, was intended to ease travel and boost connectivity once completed. The foundation stone had been laid in March 2024 by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The officials had projected the construction of the bridge as a key development under the state’s road-building programme.

The bridge collapse incident, which occurred amidst massive flooding triggered by continuous downpours, has already left large parts of Silchar submerged, compounding the district’s woes.

Reports suggested that the RCC bridge, being built under the Mukhya Mantrir Unnoto Pakipoth Nirman Achoni, had an estimated cost of Rs 10.77 crore and was being executed by the executive engineer of the PWRD Borkhola and Katigorah Territorial Road Division. The work had been progressing for several months, but locals claimed that the site never adhered to proper engineering practices.

The villagers alleged that substandard materials were used and that supervision on the ground was inadequate. “Construction was not being carried out in a proper scientific manner,” one resident said, adding that warnings about the workmanship had been ignored. The locals also alleged that the sudden failure of the central structure vindicated those concerns.

Meanwhile, the bridge collapse has intensified calls for accountability, with the locals wanting the state government and the relevant departments to step in immediately and to launch a detailed inquiry into whether negligence or inferior materials caused the failure.

Silchar Faces Waterlogging

The bridge collapse incident occurred against the backdrop of worsening weather across the valley. The continuous rainfall has led to artificial flooding in Silchar town, where water has inundated roads, markets, shops and residential neighbourhoods. Daily life has been severely disrupted, with commuters and traders among the worst affected.

The residents have urged the Chief Minister and senior officials to visit the site and oversee remedial action. They have also pressed for a thorough investigation to establish responsibility and to ensure that similar lapses do not occur in other projects underway in the region.