Yash, a Class 8 student of a school in Roop Nagar, had crossed the iron foot overbridge over the Najafgarh-Wazirabad drain around 8.30 am on Saturday. A few minutes later, the bridge collapsed, resulting in the death of a woman.
“Due to exams, my school now starts late, at 9 am. I crossed the bridge just minutes before it collapsed. I found out about it only after reaching school,” Yash told The Indian Express, adding that many of his schoolmates also crossed the bridge on Saturday.
“Now, we will have to take a longer route to reach the school,” he said.
According to Yash, a bigger tragedy was averted on Saturday, as due to annual exams, many schools have changed their timings. “Many children who would normally take this route, did not cross the bridge in the morning,” he said.
Bhanwar Singh (63), who lives at Gur Mandi in Rajpura, echoed Yash.
“Had the bridge collapsed a few minutes earlier, there could have been a much greater loss of life… Roop Nagar has four schools. Many children cross the bridge to attend school every morning,” he said while standing near the collapse site.
According to Singh, the bridge collapsed between 8.30 am and 9 am.
While authorities said the bridge was 33 years old, Singh claimed it was over 50 years old. “I have seen this bridge for over 50 years. Its condition was poor, as it was not properly maintained. People had sought repairs but nothing was done.”
“Until 1984, both sides of the bridge — Roop Nagar and Rajpura — had dense vegetation. This area was part of Sahibi river, whose water flowed into the Yamuna. Over time, it became polluted… and turned into a drain,” he added.
Singh claimed the bridge was last repaired in the late 1990s.
Anil, an e-rickshaw driver, said the bridge was meant for pedestrians, but people also used it for two-wheelers.
“Months ago, seeing its dilapidated condition, the administration put up concrete barriers on both sides to stop two-wheelers, but they were removed by local residents. After that, iron pillars were installed, and only pedestrians were allowed to cross,” he added.
Reshma, a domestic worker, said hundreds of people crossed the bridge daily. “Months ago, officials came, inspected the bridge, and declared it unsafe. But we don’t know why it was neither repaired nor rebuilt. The bridge used to save around 20-25 minutes while travelling between Roop Nagar and Rajpura,” she added.
