Like most villagers anticipated, a newly built suspended bridge worth around Nu 3 M at Tralang in Bumthang has started collapsing. One of the walls fell apart a few days ago, exposing the suspender cables, which are the main anchoring part of such bridges. People shared their disgruntlement on media over the bridge’s poor workmanship several times in the past.
The wing wall of one of the steps collapsed on Monday evening. Villagers said that the bridge was already creaking when they were returning home with their cattle. The wall collapsed soon after. The bridge is for the people of Naruth, Sarmaed, Tralang and few other villages in Tang Gewog. They take their cattle for grazing on the other side of the river.
Pema Tobden, a resident of Tralang village said that they can’t take their cattle to their farmlands fearing the bridge might collapse. “Most of our grass fields are on the other side of the river. It has become very inconvenient for us now. Let alone cattle, even people fear using the bridge now. A few of them are using it risking their lives. The bridge has not even been handed over to us.”
The Bumthang district administration constructed the bridge as a “departmental work”. The Tang Gewog office budgeted the project. Tang Gup Ugyen Nima said the wall will be rebuilt and the works have been awarded to villagers. He didn’t comment further on the issue. The Gup, in the past, cited the marshy area to have rendered the bridge unstable. However, villagers claimed that the substandard work quality led to the bridge’s instability.
According to an official who did not want to be named, officials from the Gewog and district administrations met with the people yesterday. The meeting decided to award the maintenance work to the villagers. The Gewog office is going to spend around another Nu 300,000 for it.
The technician of the bridge said the collapsed wall would not have major impact on the strength of the bridge.
Meanwhile, the bridge has not been handed over to the villagers yet. It was built around 2 years ago.
Kipchu
