BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Lokayukta on Saturday directed the vigilance directorate to inquire into the alleged substandard work that led to the collapse of a portion of an under-construction bridge over the Gobari river in Kendrapara district.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a news report titled ‘Under-construction bridge portion caves in, none hurt’ published in The New Indian Express, the anti-corruption ombudsman has asked the Director of Vigilance to find out if there exists a prima facie case of any corruption/misconduct on the part of the public servant and the contractor for proceeding further in the matter.
In view of the public opinion expressed in the news report that the bridge under construction collapsed due to sub-standard work carried out by the contractor executing the project and the lack of supervision of the officials concerned of the Works department, the Lokayukta has filed a case and ordered the vigilance to submit the preliminary inquiry report by June 26. The matter has been listed for June 26 for the next hearing.
On Wednesday, a portion of an under-construction bridge over the Gobari river at Mahipal in Kendrapara town collapsed. Though no injuries or fatalities were reported in the mishap, the incident raised questions about the quality of construction works carried out by contractors engaged by the state government.
Sources said the portion of the bridge collapsed nearly 12 hours after the girder was placed on the pillars. The construction of the bridge is being carried out by ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd.
The foundation stone of the 60-metre bridge that will serve as a second by-pass road and connect the new Kendrapara bus terminal with the Chhati bridge at Tinimuhani was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on November 8, 2016 and construction work started in 2017. The bridge was supposed to be completed by 2021. The incomplete bridge has been causing much inconvenience to the residents of more than 10 villages.