BHUBANESWAR: The roof of the under-construction terminal link building at Biju Patnaik International Airport that collapsed on Friday night claiming one life appeared to be a fallout of poor engineering and construction. The managing director of the firm which was entrusted with the work has been detained.
Dilip Khatoi, MD of Dilip Constructions Ltd that was carrying out the construction work, was taken in for questioning by the police while the Biju Janata Dal demanded a probe into the entire incident.
Bibhuti Biswal, a contractor at the spot said faulty centring and slab laying work might be the reason behind the roof caving in as the pillar has remained intact.
"As distance between two pillars in the structure has remained around 20 feet, proper centring should have been done and the beam strength should have been increased accordingly to ensure that the structure doesn't remain unstable. The roof caved in as beams couldn't sustain the load of concrete capping. While 24mm iron rods have been used in the pillar, the beams only have 16mm rods," Biswal alleged.
Sirajul, a cab driver present 100 metres away from the spot at the time of the incident, said he saw the helper of one of the construction vehicle, who remained trapped in the debris of the collapsed structure for hours and died, didn't have the protective gear while he was being rescued.
The deceased helper has been identified as Antaryami Guru from Baramba.
The driver of the construction vehicle Nabakishore Swain who sustained injuries in the incident is undergoing treatment at Capital Hospital.
The entire area has been sealed with construction barricades. Security personnel have been deployed at the site. The administration is yet to reach the spot for investigation.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJD has said it will not politicise the incident as it involves human tragedies and accidents like the BJP but demanded a thorough probe into it.
Describing the incident unfortunate and preventable, Rajya Sabha Member Sasmit Patra expressed deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
“We demand that the deceased’s family is adequately compensated and proper treatment is given to the injured free of cost,” he said. Unlike the BJP which has the habit of politicising human tragedies and accidents, BJD does not believe in such practices.
“We demand a thorough investigation and strict and exemplary action against those responsible for this incident,” Patra said.