NHAI committee to probe Dwarka Expressway flyover collapse

Gurugram:  After a section of an under-construction flyover on the Dwarka Expressway collapsed on Sunday morning, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Gurugram Police have launched separate probes into the matter.

“A high-level technical committee of the NHAI will probe the incident. The committee members will also visit the spot to take stock of the incident. Till then the construction work has been suspended. We will ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future. The area was cordoned off,” said Nirman Jambulkar, Project Director of the NHAI who was present at the spot, adding that three workers received minor injuries, who are undergoing treatment.

Engineers from the Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which was constructing the structure, who were also present at the spot said they too are investigating the matter.

Local residents, who had gathered at the spot, said, “We had noticed that huge machines of the construction company were installed on the damaged sections for a long time and the construction work on the Dwarka Expressway near the Daultabad village Chowk was stopped.

“We feel that this portion of the flyover collapsed due to the heavy loads of the machines as the work on this part of the flyover was stopped, and another reason could be the quality of the concrete used in the crushed segment. There is a need for investigating by an independent agency,” said a resident of the area requesting anonymity.

For now, to prevent further problems, officials have cordoned off the area and are placing sandbags under the portion that is still suspended to prevent any further collapse. The collapsed stretch and machines will be removed only in the next few days, after a proper method is devised for removing it without any further damage, said the officials.

According to the officials from NHAI, the incident took place around 7.30 a.m. on Sunday, when 100-meter of concrete slabs on the Expressway collapsed. As there was no work underway at the time and the number of workers was less due to the Holi festival, a major tragedy was averted. NHAI officials said three workers sustained minor injuries.

Teams of NHAI, Gurugram Police, civil defence and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were rushed to the spot.

After the incident, the spot was barricaded and no labourers were working on the stretch.

“We have deployed police personnel as a security measure to prevent people going to the incident spot. The concerned police station team will also probe the matter and if we receive any complaint in connection with the matter it will be considered as per the prescribed law. The police will soon record the statements of the victims,” Deepak Shahran, DCP (west) told IANS.

(IANS)