BHUBANESWAR: A portion of the under construction flyover near Bomikhal area of the Capital City came crashing down killing a businessman on Sunday. The mishap left 12 injured, including the deceased’s daughter, many of them seriously.
The accident occurred when centering support for a 30-ft slab which was being cast since Saturday night plunged over 30 ft onto the ground just around noon hours. As a result, the workers engaged on the bridge came hurtling down while Satya Patnaik, who was driving home with his daughter Sheetal on a two-wheeler, was hit by the flying iron angles and construction materials from above.
The 45-year-old ply distributor was received dead at the Capital Hospital here. Sheetal also suffered head injuries before being pulled out of the rubble with help of locals. As many as 11 workers, who were present on the flyover, sustained serious injuries. A motorist was also hurt in the incident.
All the 12 injured were rushed to Capital Hospital. The 10-year-old Sheetal and four others were later shifted to AIIMS in a serious condition.
Eyewitnesses said 14 to 15 people were engaged in the work when the mishap occurred. Satya was taking his daughter back home after a dance class when the duo met with the unfortunate incident.
The labourers engaged in the construction work were helped out of the debris by locals as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire fighters rushed to the spot.
As charges of poor quality of work and absence of supervision flew thick and fast, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who holds the Works Department portfolio, ordered suspension of two engineers and directed a high-level inquiry into the mishap.
The probe, the CM’s office said, would be conducted by Chief Engineers of Designs and Roads. Naveen, who later visited the injured at Capital Hospital and AIIMS, said exemplary punishment will be taken against those found responsible for the mishap.
A private firm, Panda Infratech Ltd, was carrying out the bridge work which was supervised by R&B Division-4 of the Works Department.
Although multiple agencies were pressed into the rescue work, the exercise was delayed due to non-availability of proper equipment. At least five cranes and half a dozen excavators were pressed into removal of the debris which took more than eight hours and continued well into the evening.
Gas and concrete cutters were used to remove the rubble under which workers were feared to have been trapped initially. However, the apprehension turned out to be unfounded later.
Works Secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan, who camped at the spot, said all payments to the contractor firm would be stopped immediately.
Twin City Police has also registered a case for culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Panda Infratech and officials of Works Department.
The railway flyover connects Sahid Nagar to the Cuttack Road where a major portion of the bridge is under construction. Work of the flyover, which has been hanging fire for last three years, had resumed recently.
The construction work had started in 2012 and was supposed to complete in 2014 but delay in land acquisition pushed the schedule, Pradhan said. It was targeted to be completed by December.
There was chaos at the site soon after the incident as a huge crowd gathered posing difficulty for the Twin City Commissionerate Police to clear the area.
What could have led to the mishap?
Badly-maintained centering support
Erected more than two months back, the badly-maintained centering support is stated to be the major reason behind Sunday’s mishap. The contractor firm, Panda Infratech, apparently did not carry out necessary maintenance required during the monsoon season leading to corrosion in the fittings. Experts point out that the engineering of centering itself may have been faulty which could not carry the load of about 700 tonne of concrete used for the casting of the 30-ft slab.
Vibration by RMC pumping machine
The ready mix concrete (RMC) used for casting slabs were being pumped through a cast iron pipeline to the top of the flyover from a truck. The pumping process generates very high vibration in the pipeline which could have led to de-stabilisation of the centering which was already faulty.
No inspection by Executive Engineer
Executive Engineer of R&B Division-4 Dukha Bandhu Behera reportedly did neither make the spot inspection of the flyover site nor did he issue the no objection certificate (NOC) as per the manual. He did not respond to the queries and switched off his mobile phone when contacted.
BJD MLAs’ support to the contractor
Panda Infratech Ltd, the contractor, which has been awarded a number of major projects including the Bomikhal flyover, enjoyed the blessings of two former BJD ministers who were recently dropped in the reshuffle. The firm promoters did not care two hoots for any norms while the two BJD leaders bullied the Works Department to its advantage.
Role of Dy EE under scanner
Deputy Executive Engineer Banshidhar Praharaj was detained at the DCP office for questioning on the contractor firm Panda Infratech, how it was supervised and his role in monitoring the project. Praharaj has already been placed under suspension along with Assistant Engineer Kishore Rout by the State Government.