Ancient Mon-Namtola Bridge falls down again

December 16, 2023 61 Views No Comment

•    Wooden deck gives way
•    Plywood-laden truck drops
•    Fortunately no casualty
•    DC issues travel advisory

Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 16

The Mon-Namtola Bridge fell again. The single lane bridge, with a sheet of wood planks serving as the deck, falls right on the Assam-Nagaland border, forming a part of the National Highway 702. Spanning a small stream, known to the locals as Pongma— a distributary of the Tizit river, it connects the border town of Tizit with the market town of Namtola in Charaideo, Assam.

The bridge’s wooden deck caved in under the weight of a fully laden 12-wheel truck early on December 15. According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mon, it happened sometime between 3:40-5:00 am. The truck fell with a portion of the deck on the Assam side. Fortunately, none of the occupants were injured.

The DC issued a travel advisory soon after, banning the movement of “all kind of Heavy Vehicles from Namtola, Charaideo, Assam to Mon, Nagaland and vice-versa” till further directive. As an alternative, commuters were informed to take the Jaboka-Pentom road (via Namtola Chariali, Assam-Lahdoigarh-Jaboka-Pentom Junction (Tizit/Mon) and vice-versa) till the fallen bridge is restored. The alternative route will be open to only light, medium and all kinds of passenger vehicles.

The DC said that only the “technical agency” can tell how long restoration would take, adding that the NHIDCL has dispatched a team from Kohima to assess feasible options. Pulling out the truck would likely take 2 days, he added.

The 12-wheel truck was transporting processed timber said to be plywood from a plywood mill located in Tizit. The load bearing capacity of the old bridge has been capped at 7 tonnes, per the warning pasted on the bridge.

The age of the bridge remains uncertain but it is estimated to be 60-70 years, reportedly built by the Border Roads Organisation. The bridge is composed of a tubular steel framework and wood planks serving as the deck.

While light passenger vehicles ply the alternate route, a Tizit resident told The Morung Express that local residents are using are using two bamboo poles lain across the Pongma stream as a makeshift bridge.

“It is the festive season, our main market is Namtola. To crossover into Namtola, pedestrians are using two bamboo poles lain across the stream as a makeshift bridge,” was how the resident, a student leader, described the predicament.

He expressed apprehension that Mon district would likely face a shortage of essentials in the event the alternative Jaboka-Pentom road closes; his apprehension arising from the deplorable condition of the Jaboka-Pentom road, which has a “very old iron bridge.” “This bridge cannot bear much load and it’s also almost on the verge of collapse,” he said.

Accusing of governmental apathy, he said that the demands of the residents for a new bridge has fallen on deaf ears. According to him, neither the Assam government nor the Government of Nagaland is taking any step to remedy the situation. “They are only engaging in blame game,” he said.

He recalled the state government committing to build a new bridge when the students’ body of the Tizit area protested the neglect. “That time they said that it will be taken up by the NHIDCL very soon,” he said.

In August 2019, the same bridge collapsed under similar circumstance. That time, as well, it involved a truck. It fell into the stream after a portion of the deck gave way. The occupants survived uninjured.