A bridge (Bridge No. 94) on the Sivni-Itwari railway section, between Bhandarkund and Bhimalgondi, has developed cracks. The railway board sent a team to inspect the bridge and prepare a report on the cause of the cracks and preventive measures. A new bridge will be constructed, for which the tender process...
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will take at least a month. The construction of the new bridge is estimated to take 5-6 months, which would mean that train services between Sivni and Nagpur will be disrupted for six months. The incident occurred despite the DRM (Divisional Railway Manager) inspecting the bridge on August 22nd and declaring it to be in good condition. This has raised questions about the effectiveness of the inspection. The bridge was built at a cost of 2.5 crores and has already incurred maintenance expenses of 3.5 crores in just three years. The bridge has been a subject of controversy since its construction, with the CRS (Commissioner of Railway Safety) raising concerns about the quality of work. The bridge had been permitted to operate trains at a speed of 20 km/h and required 24-hour monitoring. The entire project, encompassing the Chhindwara-Sivni-Nanpur-Mandla Fort railway line and the Chhindwara-Itwari line, cost a combined 2700 crores and was completed after seven years of construction. Although train services are available, they are frequently canceled, causing inconvenience to passengers.