Panda Infra axed

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Bhubaneswar: Finally wise counsel has prevailed after the under-construction Bomikhal flyover claimed a second life, May 4. The state government Monday axed contractor (Panda Infra Project Ltd) from executing the pending work of the incomplete bridge.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat here, works secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan said, “The recent mishap at the under construction Bomikhal flyover site in which one labourer was killed is an inexcusable crime. The concerned company is at fault as no preventive measures were implemented after the first mishap took place, September 10, 2017.” .
Pradhan added: “The contractor will be barred from completing the work. We don’t want to give another chance to the company as it has failed to implement proper safety measures after the first mishap.”
However, Pradhan remained evasive when asked as to why Panda Infra Project Ltd was not barred after the first accident. “We are not showing any sympathy towards the contractor, he was blacklisted after the first incident,” informed Pradhan.
Stating that work to the tune of nearly rupees four to five crore is still pending, the secretary said a fresh tender will be floated to appoint another company to finish the project. In case no companies are interested in completing the project, the Works Department will take upon itself the responsibility of executing the remainder of the work.
Pradhan also informed that efforts will be taken to inaugurate the bridge within the next two to three months from the date of awarding the new contract.
“Every component including safety of the bridge and quality of the work will be checked by a third party prior to the inauguration of the bridge,” Pradhan
asserted.
In a separate development Labour Minister Sushant Singh stated that a departmental enquiry will be undertaken to find out the circumstances under which the labourer had died and the report will be placed before CM Naveen Patnaik for appropriate action.