Probe Reveals Kund Mala Bridge Collapse Due to Pune ZP, PWD Apathy; 63 Unsafe Bridges to Be Demolished

Pune, 22nd July 2025: A district-level inquiry has pointed to administrative lapses by both the Pune Zilla Parishad (ZP) and the Public Works Department (PWD) as key factors behind the fatal collapse of the Kund Mala bridge on June 15, which claimed four lives.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi confirmed that neither the ZP nor the PWD assumed full responsibility for the upkeep of the bridge, resulting in a tragic oversight.
“The bridge essentially fell through the cracks of jurisdiction,” said Dudi. “There was no official handover between departments, creating a grey area where no one took charge of its maintenance.”

The Kund Mala bridge, built in 1992 over the Indrayani River near Talegaon, served as a connection between a Zilla Parishad road and a road managed by the defence authorities. While the PWD was responsible for its construction, the ZP argued that a formal transfer was never completed, leaving its maintenance in limbo.

Though the bridge was technically closed to the public, it remained accessible and had become a popular monsoon spot for tourists. On June 15, a large gathering overwhelmed the location, leading to the structure’s sudden failure.

“There were barricades and police posted in the area,” Dudi explained, “but the crowd that day was unexpectedly large and couldn’t be managed in time. This unfortunate incident underlines the dangers of ignoring administrative accountability.”

The inquiry also uncovered that in 2017, the district planning committee sanctioned ₹3 crore for a structural audit and necessary repairs. However, despite the allocation, neither the PWD nor the ZP executed the work.

“A lack of coordination and follow-through led to years of neglect,” said a senior district official familiar with the report. “There were clear recommendations, but no department took initiative.”

As a corrective step, Dudi announced that 63 bridges across Pune district, identified as structurally unsafe through a recent audit, are slated for demolition after the monsoon season. “We’ve already issued demolition orders for these bridges. Public safety is our top priority,” he said.

To prevent future tragedies, the report has also proposed tighter crowd control measures at tourist hotspots, including the introduction of a ticketing and visitor cap system similar to the model implemented at Kaas Plateau. A new joint forest committee will supervise visitor flow at nearly 20 sites, including popular locations such as Tamhini Ghat, Kamshet, Nane Ghat, Sinhagad, Rajgad, and Bhaje Caves.

“We’re allocating ₹50 crore from the District Planning Committee funds toward developing digital infrastructure to manage tourism and ensure public safety,” Dudi added.

The district administration now aims to develop a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for inter-departmental coordination on infrastructure maintenance, hoping to prevent similar tragedies in the future.