New Delhi: Two days after being inaugurated, Karnataka's first floating bridge at Malpe beach in Udupi has collapsed and its operation has been suspended. The bridge, inaugurated by Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat on May 6, got partially dismantled on Sunday after being hit by huge waves, a report in The Hindu said.
Images and videos of the damaged bridge and blocks lying on the beach are being widely circulated on social media. The district administration has suspended all water sports activities at the Malpe beach.
The floating bridge was reportedly built by three local entrepreneurs at a cost of Rs 80 lakh to boost tourism in Udupi.
The incident took place a day heavy rain lashed several parts of Bengaluru under the influence of cyclone Asani, uprooting several trees and inundating several roads.
The bridge, which is about 100-metre-long and 3.5-metre-wide, van handle a maximum of 100 visitors at a time. Tourists will be allowed to stay on the bridge for only 15 minutes and will be charged Rs 100. For the safety of visitors, 10 lifeguards and 30 lifebuoys have been deployed on the bridge.
"The floating bridge was damaged after being hit by huge waves on May 8 night. Some pontoon blocks have come off. It's not unusual. These blocks can be reset, and the bridge will be restored," The Hindu quoted Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat as saying.
However, Sudesh Shetty from Hanuman Vitobha Bhajana Mandali said the bridge was, in fact, "disconnected to avoid damage" due to the cyclonic weather.
"Due to cyclone effect and heavy wind, we had disconnected the locks of the bridge so that the floating bridge does not suffer any damage. As a result, some of the blocks of the bridge were floating in the sea on May 9 morning," Shetty told The Hindu.