PERNEM: Excessive sand extraction in Tiracol River at Porascadem is posing danger to the pillars of Konkan Railway Bridge.
The rising sand mining activities is a major issue affecting Pernem taluka and and if the authorities concerned fail to take action and stop the illegal mining, it may cause disaster.
Due to sand extraction, the depth of in Tiracol River has increased affecting the stability of the bridge pillars.
Sand extraction has also caused the river banks to collapse, which consequently widened the river.
Sangharsh Asolkar, a local, said, “If sand mining is not stopped, the bridge will break down at any point. If the bridge breaks down when a train is on the tracks, it will lead to large number of casualties and deaths. Therefore, the mining has to be stopped immediately.”
Satish Naik, another local, said, “Authorities are turning a blind eye to the issue. If the bridge collapses or even develops crack, then, it is dangerous for train movement.”
When contacted, KRC PRO Baban Ghadge claimed that there is no danger to the bridge. “Our senior engineers had recently inspected the Konkon Railway bridge at Porascadem and there is no danger to the bridge,” he said.
