Nabarangpur: A day after a labourer was killed and four others were injured following the collapse of an under-construction Biju Setu (bridge) on river Nagi in Talapadar village in this district, the superintending engineer (SE) visited the mishap site and conducted a preliminary probe into the mishap, Monday.
SE Pradip Kumar Jena of Rural Development Department in Sunabeda claimed the mishap occurred due to weak centering support, use of substandard raw materials and compression of the ground where the foundation was laid. Jena was accompanied by the quality control team during the visit. The SE said this after conducting a probe at the mishap site. “The pipes used in the centering must be defective or else there might be some fault in the spacing between the pipes,” Jena said.
Jena also took the measurement for the required spacing and said after proper enquiry of the design, the exact reason behind the mishap will be known. The SE visited the site after getting directions from Development Commissioner Pradeep Jena and the engineer in-chief. The team led by the SE collected samples of reinforced concrete cement (RCC) and raw materials like sand, chips and cement for laboratory examination.
Earlier Sunday, Pradeep Jena directed Nabarangpur Collector to lodge criminal case against contractor Ashis Kumar Biswal, sub-divisional officer (SDO) Asit Kumar Patra, and the junior engineer Niranjan Sahu and immediately arrest them. He had also directed the chief engineer to visit the site for enquiry. The contractor and the two engineers are absconding.
Meanwhile, locals have also alleged that sub-standard work led to the collapse of the under-construction bridge at Talpadar under Umerkote block in the district.
The sand and cement used in the construction of the bridge are of poor quality while the concerned officials used hard cement and low quality sand in the work, the villagers alleged. “All our plaints to the concerned authorities, multiple times, were never attended,” said a ward member of Talpadar village.
Meanwhile, Nabarangpur MP Ramesh Chandra Majhi met the bereaved family of Mali and expressed his condolences. He assured that the family will receive Rs 10 lakh compensation as well as other ex-gratia.
