Barge Stuck Under Kaniampuzha Railway Bridge
A barge ferrying sulphur to FACT Udyogamandal got stuck beneath the Kaniampuzha railway bridge during early hours on Saturday when it rammed into the column base that was invisible during the high tide. In the very same place, a mock water rescue operation was conducted by Southern Railway a month ago.
As a result, the Southern Railway immediately clamped a speed restriction of 30 km per hour on trains to and from Kottayam, causing a delay in train movement in the sector. The Ernakulam Area Manager Rajesh Chandran said that most trains suffered a delay of over 10 minutes during peak hours due to the speed restriction.
Apart from officials of the firm that operates the vessel, senior officials of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and FACT arrived at the site to devise means to extricate the wide barge from the bridge’s base. Sources said that the accident took place as the barge was cruising beneath the bridge and low tide set in.
After attempts to tow it using other barges failed, efforts were on to extricate the barge during high tide when the water level rises.
The incident could have been averted if the barge crew were better trained, sources said.
Source: The Hindu
