Atal Bridge: Hourly cap on number of visitors imposed after Morbi tragedy
2 min read . Updated: 01 Nov 2022, 06:36 AM IST
PremiumDays after bridge collapse in Morbi, Ahmedabad's Atal Bridge has decided to cap the number of hourly visitors to 3,000
The Ahmedabad civic body has decided to restrict the number of persons on the pedestrian-only Atal Bridge on Sabarmati river to 3,000 per hour in view of the bridge collapse in Morbi which saw 134 die in the event.
Explaining the decision Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation in a statement said "Though the bridge is capable of bearing the weight of nearly 12,000 persons, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has decided to limit the number of visitors on the Atal Bridge in view of the Morbi bridge tragedy,"
It added "As a precaution, we have decided to limit the number of visitors on Atal Bridge. Now, only 3,000 visitors will be given entry every hour. Not more than 3,000 persons per hour will be allowed to stand on the bridge, and the rest will be asked to wait on the Riverfront for their turn,"
Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited said the decision had been taken for the safety of visitors even though the bridge is very strong and safe as it appealed for cooperation on the issue.
The Atal bridge was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 27 and named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is 300-metre long and 14-metre wide and connects the flower garden on the western end of the riverfront and the upcoming arts and culture centre on the eastern end.
The iconic bridge, having an eye-catching design and LED lighting, has been built using 2,600 tons of steel pipes while the roof is made up of colourful fabric and the railing has been built with glass and stainless steel.
The bridge is designed in such a way that people can approach it from both lower and upper walkways or promenades of the riverfront. In addition to pedestrians, cyclists can use this bridge to cross the river without having to deal with traffic, and while enabling users to see the riverfront from the middle of the water body.
The Machchhu River Bridge in Gujarat's Morbi collapsed as Hundreds of people fell into a river when a cable bridge.
With inputs from PTI
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