As part of doubling railway lines a new overbridge was constructed, the railway department decided to use limited explosive materials to demolish the 65-year-old bridge to avoid disruption of traffic.
Kottayam: Indian Railways have temporarily discontinued its plan to destroy the Nagampadam Railway overbridge. The bridge still stood strong even after two failed attempts at a controlled explosion to demolish it.
As part of a project to double the railway line, a new overbridge was constructed. The railway department decided to use limited explosive materials to demolish the 65-year-old bridge to avoid disruption of traffic.
The bridge and its pillars were drilled, and explosives were placed inside it on Friday. The entire bridge had been covered with a plastic material to stop the spread of debris and dust.
Meanwhile, train services from Kottayam remained disrupted from Saturday morning. The electric cables that ran along the lines were also removed.
The first attempt of destroying the overbridge was around 11am on Saturday. But due to an electric malfunction, the first attempt failed. At around 5pm the authorities tried to destroy the bridge again, but it failed to produce the desired result. Top railway authorities, district heads, police, firefighters and municipal authorities were present during the failed operation.
The authorities decided to retire for the day and make an attempt to demolish the bridge after reviewing the two failed attempts.
Trains were then allowed to pass through Kottayam after evaluating the risk factors of the Nagampadam railway overbridge. Thousands of people had thronged the Nehru Stadium to witness the collapse of Nagampadam railway overbridge.
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