CUTTACK: At least three persons were killed and two others critically injured after a concrete slab fell on them during construction of a bridge near Khannagar on Saturday evening. The construction has been going on for the six-lane road conversion from Kathajodi riverside of NH-16 to Cuttack Netaji Bus Terminal (CNBT).
The deceased have been identified as site engineer Soumya Ranjan Mallick (30), workers Shiba Sankar Patnaik (28) of Balasore and Subhas Chandra Bhakta of West Bengal. Two other workers Arun Barik and Bikal Jena who were injured in the collapse are undergoing treatment in the SCB medical college and hospital.
The incident occurred at about 5.45 pm while the site engineer and workers were engaged in lifting of the readymade concrete slab for setting it on the pillars with the help of two parallel cranes.
Sources said, the hoisting wire of one crane got suddenly detached as a result of which the slab collapsed on the crane which then trapped the site engineer and four labourers underneath. All the five persons were rescued and rushed to SCB MCH where doctors declared three of them dead.
Lack of inspection and supervision is said to have caused the mishap. The hoisting wire of the crane should have been inspected and verified before being used for lifting, alleged a city-based engineer while demanding a high-level probe into the incident that took three lives.
Sources said, the bridge construction is being carried out by a Bhubaneswar-based company under the supervision of Roads & Building wing of the Works department.
Works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan visited the injured workers at SCB MCH. He said a probe will be conducted into the incident and necessary action will be initiated if any lapse is found.
“A three-member team headed by special secretary-cum-EIC Laxmikant Padhi will conduct probe and submit report within 15 days. Necessary measures will be taken to prevent recurrence of such type of incidents in future,” Harichandan told mediapersons adding that treatment cost of the two injured workers would be borne by the government.