Fact Check: Video showing floating bridge in Vizag broken into two pieces on second day of inauguration is Misleading
Video showing floating bridge in Vizag broken into two pieces on second day of inauguration is Misleading
A floating bridge set up at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam was inaugurated by Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy on Sunday.
A video is circulating on social media claiming that a section of the same bridge separated on the second day of its inauguration. Chandrababu Naidu, the opposition leader of Andhra Pradesh, shared a link in an India Today story, accompanied by a caption stating, "Similar to many of Jagan Reddy's development projects, this one succumbed to the weight of corruption and collapsed. Shortly after its inauguration, the floating bridge in Vizag, deemed suitable for public use by the YSRC government, suffered a failure. The blatant disregard this government has shown for people's safety in pursuit of public relations sets a disturbing precedent in politics and governance. #CorruptJagan."
Media reports are also echoing the same news, asserting that a portion of the floating bridge developed issues.
Fact Check:
The claim is misleading.
After conducting a keyword search on Google and in X for "Floating Bridge", we found a tweet from FactCheck Andhra Pradesh, a fact-checking entity associated with the Andhra Pradesh government. According to their report, the bridge was found to be undamaged, contradicting the viral claim. The VMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner clarified that the separation of the "T" junction viewpoint from the Floating Bridge was part of a routine mock drill, not a structural failure.
The Commissioner emphasized that this mock drill, involving the detachment during high tides, is a standard technical inspection procedure. The process was misinterpreted as damage to the bridge. The VMRDA urged the public not to believe rumours and to rely on official information. The tweet responding to a media outlet's claim was posted in Telugu and clarified the situation.
In addition to the official clarification, leading media sources like The Hindu reported that the Floating Sea Bridge in Visakhapatnam was delinked for maintenance, debunking the false claims. In the article, officials explained that this delinking was a deliberate and planned action but not an incident caused by the high tide.
Moreover, several tweets also supported the official statement, with individuals stating that the bridge delinking was intentional and done due to the high tide of waves.
Hence, the claim is false. The rumours circulating on social media about the Floating Bridge in Visakhapatnam being broken is misleading.