Bridge collapse: Odisha govt orders probe by EIC, suspends two engineers

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 28:

The Odisha government today ordered an inquiry by the engineer-in-chief (EIC), Works department into the collapse of the bridge on Mahanadi linking Banki with Subarnapur on Wednesday night.

“A team led by the engineer in chief (EIC) would conduct an inquiry into the incident. Appropriate action would be taken against officials and the construction company if any dereliction of duty is established in the inquiry,” Works secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan announced today.

Pradhan revealed that two engineers – SDO Pradip Kumar Bal and junior engineer Ramesh Chandra Sahoo – had already been placed under suspension.

The bridge, estimated to cost Rs 60 crore, is being constructed by Rajalaxmi Construction company.

Eleven labourers including an engineer were injured, two of them seriously, after a portion of the under-construction bridge over river Mahanadi caved in at Jatamundia in Odisha’s Cuttack district on Wednesday night.

The condition of both is critical, sources in the SCB Hospital said.

According to reports, the construction work of the bridge was underway when four slabs, connecting two spans of the bridge, suddenly collapsed.

The incident took place between 7.30 PM and 8 PM.