Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry into the bridge collapse in Pune district a day earlier, which resulted in four deaths. He questioned why the bridge was kept open to the public if it was unsafe.

Four people died and 18 were seriously injured when a 32-year-old iron bridge over the Indrayani River in the Kundamal area of Maval tehsil collapsed on Sunday afternoon."Why does the BJP coalition government wake up only after an accident? Why was the dangerous bridge kept open when it was known that hundreds of tourists visit Kundamal during monsoon? The state government must fix responsibility and file a case of culpable homicide against concerned officials," Sapkal said.

The government is now claiming funds for a new bridge were approved a year ago, but Sapkal questioned why it was not built during this period.