Ill-fated Rangchang Steel Bridge that colapsed last December

Today I happened to cross the Rangchang Khola Bridge, the very steel bridge that is in news after its collapse few weeks back. More of a first time happening Bridge collapse in Sikkim, I was taken aback when I heard the news for the very first time. I was still at Dalapchand when the incident happened and I received a call from Bajgain daju wanting me to find information about the incident.

When I came across the debris of the ill-fated steel bridge I wasn’t able to believe that this was the very bridge that I had walked through when I was on the visit to Mangan and its surroundings during Earthquake relief work. I still remember clicking photographs of the panoramic beauty of the valley from the bridge.

More than ten people had died when a concrete steel bridge collapsed over Rangchang khola (river) around 1.15 pm in North Sikkim. According to news media the bridge collapsed due to the weight of a 48 wheelers truck carrying power equipment. The truck was loaded with heavy weight transformer of 1200 MW Teesta Urja Company. The truck with eight persons on board plunged 70 ft below in the Khola near Dikchu.

The 85 meters long steel bridge was located 11 kms from Dikchu towards Singtam and was designed with RCC decking. It was inaugurated on 3rd of April 2009 to replace a Bailey bridge. It was constructed by Mohan Bajaj, Sikkim under 87RCC 499 RMPL 764 TF.

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JANHA BAGCHA TEESTA RANGIT

This was a national song of Sikkim sung in the Nepali language during the monarchy system. During the merger with India, the song got banned and later re-released. Two words on the 8th para, which earlier said 'Rajah rah Rani,' were replaced with "Janmah bhumi." This song was dedicated to the King and Queen of Sikkim. The song lyrics were penned by Sanu Lama, and the music was composed by Dushyant Lama. The song was first sung on the birth anniversary of Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal on April 4, 1970, at Gangtok by Aruna Lama, Dawa Lama, and Manikamal Chettri. JANHA BAGCHA TEESTA RANGIT, JAHAN KANCHENDZONGA SEER YEHI HO HAMRO DHANA KO DESH, TAPAWAN HO PYARO SIKKIM INTERLUDE PHULCHAN YEHA AANGANAI MAA, CHAAP , GURAS, SUNAKHARI SWARGASARI SUNDAR DESH KO HAMRO PYARO PYARO JANMAHBHUMI JANHA BAGCHA…… BATASHLE BOKCHAA YAHA, TATHAGAT KO AAMAR WAANI ...

Pandam Garhi and its surmise

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Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

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