Did Vizag floating bridge collapse hours after opening? What did Andhra government say?

Floating bridge inaugurated at popular RK Beach

Visakhapatnam:

The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday rejected claims that a portion of the floating bridge inaugurated on the beach here on February 25 was washed away, and said it was done as part of a mock drill.

The floating bridge at the popular RK Beach in the port city was inaugurated with much fanfare by senior YSRCP leader and Rajya Sabha member YV Subba Reddy on Sunday.

However, within 24 hours, pictures and videos of broken parts of the structure floating in sea water went viral, which were further amplified by the opposition TDP party, causing major embarrassment to the YSRCP government.

“Due to high tide, the T-shaped viewing point of the bridge has been detached and placed near an anchor to check its stability. But some people clicked pictures of the gap between the bridge and the detached viewing point. And alleged that the bridge was floating, which is false, an official statement from the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) said on Monday.

VMRDA claimed that the bridge was separated as part of a mock drill, noting that such separation is a normal technical procedure during strong sea currents.

Additionally, it said it will continue to isolate viewpoints if needed as part of mock drills in the future.

Though the government wanted to allow tourists to visit the bridge from Monday, it stopped them citing changes in weather and strong sea currents, the release said.

Meanwhile, Industries Minister G Amarnath targeted TDP and said that it is doing fake publicity regarding the floating bridge.

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