The narrow iron bridge, designed for pedestrian traffic, became a death trap as motorcycles approached from both sides, creating chaos and overcrowding that the ageing structure couldn't withstand (Express)The report on the Kundamala bridge collapse in Maval taluka has been submitted by the special committee formed by the district collector Jitendra Dudi. The report has raised questions regarding the personnel responsible for the upkeep of the bridge given the delays in important repairs.The special committee was headed by Additional District Collector Suhas Mapari and had representatives from various departments. The committee was supposed to determine who is to be held responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the bridge.In its report the committee noted that the bridge was constructed by the PWD in 1992. However, its ownership was not transferred to the Zilla Parishad which is why even after budget requests were made for renovation of the bridge it was not being implemented.While one end of the Bridge opened in land owned by the Army, the other end opened at land with the Pune Zilla Parishad.The PWD had undertaken extension of the bridge in 2004 but official handover of the bridge was not done to the Pune Zilla Parishad. This has caused a serious question about the authority on who was responsible for upkeep of the bridge.In 2017, the Zilla Parishad had estimated that it would take around Rs 3 crores to completely renovate the bridge. As this budget was deemed to be too high for the Zilla Parishad, the proposal was sent to the PWD after which there were no further updates on the project.The report was sent to the state government to take further action. The bridge over the Indrayani river in Kundamala had collapsed in June which had led to the death of four tourists and had injured 35 others. Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune