Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday slammed the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra for the Indrayani River bridge collapse in Pune and asked Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar whether he would take responsibility for the accident, as he is the guardian minister of Pune.
"Ajit Pawar is the guardian minister of Pune, so will he take responsibility for the accident?" Raut said in a press conference here.
Four people were killed when an old bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed.
He also criticised the Maharashtra government over the daily accidents occurring since it came to power, calling it a "cursed government" (Panauti Sarkar).
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He also raised concerns about the demolition of a platform (chabutra) near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Malvan. Referring to an event held there a few months ago, Raut questioned whether corruption was involved.
Meanwhile, following the death of four people in the Indrayani River bridge collapse incident, one of the survivors, who was injured, recalled that there was a huge crowd which had gathered at one place on the bridge, leading to its collapse.
Speaking to ANI, the man recalled that the people standing in the middle of the bridge were swept away in the Indrayani River.
"There was a huge crowd on the bridge. The road was jammed due to vehicles coming from both sides. The crowd gathered at one place, and the bridge collapsed. People standing in the middle of the bridge were swept away. We fell on the stones and got injured," he said.
Maval Tahsildar Vikram Deshmukh's Statement
Maval Tahsildar Vikram Deshmukh said, "The injured are being treated in the hospital. We have not received any complaints of missing people. Four people have died in the incident." According to District Collector Jitendra Dudi, the tragic incident occurred at 3:15 pm on Sunday, and rescue teams were alerted by 3:30 pm.
Speaking to ANI, Dudi said, "A total of 51 people are injured and admitted to different hospitals, taking treatment, and four individuals have died. Three were identified as Chandrakant Salve, Rohit Mane, and Vihaan Mane, and one was male but unidentified." He added, "A team of about 250 people immediately came here. The rescue operation started, and so far we have rescued about 38 people." Dudi confirmed that search operations were ongoing, as two people were still unaccounted for.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Cyprus, spoke to CM Fadnavis to take stock of the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
The Chief Minister expressed deep sorrow over the incident and said he is in constant touch with senior officials, including the Divisional Commissioner, District Collector, Superintendent of Police, and Tehsildar.
"It was very sad to hear the news of the accident in which a bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed at Indori near Talegaon in Pune district. According to preliminary information, two people have died in this incident. I pay my heartfelt tributes to them. We share the grief of their families," Fadnavis said in a post on X.
He added, "I am in constant touch with the Divisional Commissioner, District Collector, Superintendent of Police and the concerned Tehsildar regarding this incident. As some people have been swept away, a search is being carried out for them. NDRF has been deployed at the spot. Relief work has been given immediate impetus...all the agencies have been ordered to be put on alert mode...they have been admitted to the hospital for treatment."
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