Following the collapse of a piece of the Tengapani bridge on Wednesday, National Highway 15, which connects Namsai with Tezu continues to remain closed. The bridge was partially damaged by the rising waters of the Tengapani river and its tributaries. 

Meanwhile, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is engaged in the restoration work and expressed optimism that the bridge would be open for traffic by Saturday evening.

Khampa, who took charge as the DC on Friday, also visited the bridge site on Friday. “The restoration work is going on on a war footing,” he said.

According to a local official, the bridge sustained significant damage, which is why restoration is taking so long. “We understand that people are facing problems, but it will be open for traffic only after the engineers are satisfied with the restoration works,” the official said.

For now, the Namsai district administration has restricted the movement of all types of vehicles on the Tengapani bridge, which has caused big trouble for the people of Lohit, Namsai, Anjaw and Lower Dibang Valley districts.

It is to be mentioned that for the people of Lohit, Namsai and Anjaw districts, the Tezu-Namsai road is their lifeline. Since the highway cannot be used for travelling due to the collapse of the Tengapani bridge, the residents, especially the medical patients are facing tremendous trouble. The closure of the bridge is also reportedly affecting the flow of tourists to the region.

The locals also alleged that the repair work is progressing slowly.

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