THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The public works department has taken action against the officials concerned on the basis of the inquiry report into the collapse of three beams of Koolimadu bridge -- connecting Kozhikode and Malappuram districts -- while under construction, Minister P A Mohamed Riyas informed the assembly on Monday.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan asked why that state government, which blacklisted the contractor who constructed the Palarivattom flyover, has not taken any action against the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Ltd, which is building Koolimadu bridge.
The minister, however, replied that the two projects are different and one cannot compare the two incidents. “This government did not greet the officials who committed lapses with garlands. In the case of Palarivattom flyover, cement and steel were not used in adequate quantities.
Former PWD minister V K Ebrahim Kunju had accepted mobilisation advance for the project. The government directed the superintending engineer of national highways to blacklist RDS, the contract company that built the flyover, based on the PWD manual and the legal advice of the advocate general,” said Riyas.
He said the report given by the PWD Vigilance regarding the collapse of the Koolimadu bridge was examined and necessary steps were taken. “The inspection conducted at NIT, Kozhikode, analysed the fault found in the hydraulic jack, eyewitness accounts and the manner in which the beam fell. The investigation revealed that the fault in the operation of the jack was the cause of the accident,” the minister said.