BALANGIR: Faulty design and substandard construction work resulted in collapse of the bridge on Suktel river in Patnagarh block which claimed two lives on Wednesday, admitted officials of the Rural Development Department who began investigation into the mishap on Thursday. The bridge was the connecting link between Tamia and Mudalsar villages.
Chief Engineers of RD Department Satyajit Chakraborty and Hemant Kumar Dutta along with executive engineer of Patnagarh division Antony Kishan visited the site and said the collapsed may have been caused by its faulty design and use of substandard construction materials.
The private firm should have consulted officials of the department at regular intervals for construction of the bridge but it had not done so.
Stringent action would be taken against the firm and Government officials found guilty of the faulty work, Chakraborty said.
The Rural Development wing of Patnagarh had entrusted the work to Ram Kumar Agarwal Engineers Pvt Ltd. Manager of the private firm GS Nair has been detained.
While foundation stone of the bridge was laid in July 2014, construction was completed in February 2016. However, locals in November last had alleged that fissures developed on of the pillars of the bridge and despite the cracks, movement of vehicles was allowed.
Repair work on the bridge was started after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed on April 20. On Wednesday, while some workers were carrying out repair when a portion of the bridge collapsed killing two.