Part of flyover on Nanded's outskirts collapses

Nanded (Maharashtra), Jul 9 (PTI) A portion of a flyover on the Nanded-Latur road on the outskirts of Nanded city, constructed one year ago, collapsed on Thursday morning. No casualties were reported, a police official said. The incident came days after a landslide briefly shut down the newly constructed Missing Link bypass bridge of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, bringing the issue of the quality of infrastructure works to the fore. A lower side section of the flyover, located in Vishnupuri area, suddenly gave way, creating panic among commuters and residents. Several educational institutes including Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital and Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University are located in the area. Local residents questioned the quality of the work and demanded an immediate structural safety audit of the flyover. Inspector Omkant Chincholkar said police contacted the contractor after the incident, and repair work was underway. "The contractor's people claimed that the earthquake recorded early in the morning might be the reason behind the collapse. We have closed both the adjacent service road and the bridge. We appeal the people not to use this route," he said. Tremors ranging from 3.6 to 4.6 in magnitude were recorded in Nanded, Hingoli and Parbhani districts of central Maharashtra between 1.37 am and 3.23 am on Thursday. PTI COR KRK