New Delhi. A part of the nearly 150 year old bridge built on the Ganga river in Kanpur collapsed today and drowned in the Ganga. Although traffic on this bridge was closed for the last several years, this bridge connecting Kanpur to Shuklaganj of Unnao was famous for its special architecture and historical importance. IIT Kanpur experts had declared the bridge dilapidated about 4 years ago, after which traffic was stopped here. People started strolling here, but later for security reasons, walls were erected at the entrance on both sides of the bridge.
#WATCH Kanpur: The Ganga bridge built by the British connecting Kanpur to Unnao collapsed this morning.
The Setu Nigam had kept this nearly 125-year-old bridge closed for a long time, as it was already damaged and an agreement was reached with the government to demolish it. pic.twitter.com/elikVweEJ3
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 26, 2024
The most special thing about this historical Ganga bridge was its design. There were two ways to enter this bridge, one above and the other below. Bikes, scooters, cars, buses etc. vehicles used to pass through the road above it, whereas the road below it was made for pedestrians, although cyclists also used to pass through it. The British had built this unique bridge on the Ganga river in 1875. It took more than 7 years to build this bridge. This bridge also has a story related to the freedom struggle. Once when the revolutionaries were crossing the river Ganga, the British soldiers fired on them from this very bridge.
Till many years ago, this used to be the main route connecting Kanpur with Unnao and Lucknow. Later a second bridge was also built on the Ganga river which is known as Jajmau New Bridge. After the IIT survey, when the decision was taken to close the traffic on this bridge, it affected many people who used to come through this bridge daily. Seeing the demand of the local people, the MP and the Minister tried to get it started again but their proposal was not accepted in view of the dilapidated condition of the bridge.
