The Yogi Adityanath government sacked Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation managing director Rajan Mittal after he was named as one of the seven officials responsible for lapses which led to the collapse of a section of the under-construction flyover in Varanasi, which killed, at least, 15 people on Tuesday.
A three-member probe committee formed by Chief Minister Adityanath and headed by state Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Raj Pratap Singh to find out the reasons for the accident submitted its report to the CM on late Thursday night naming the seven officials for the lapses. Four top officials of UP Setu Nigam had already been suspended after the Chaukaghat-Lahartara flyover collapsed.
The committee pointed out six major lapses in the project that caused the accident like drawings used in the construction had not been approved by a competent PWD official and the beams between the columns had not been tied with crossbeams. Besides, since no record of batch mix plant in that unit was maintained, any records of mixture of stone chips, cement and iron rod wasn’t available. It wasn’t also clear whether the beams that crushed the vehicles met the parameters of laid standard. Neither the construction site was barricaded nor traffic was diverted to another route.
Singh told the media that “that the report has mentioned the duties and responsibilities of officials associated with the construction of the flyover. We have also mentioned how traffic should be regulated in other areas”.
The Prime Minister’s Office is also keeping close tab on the investigation. An overbridge construction expert VK Gupta is leading another team at ground zero. After a first information report was registered, the police had already visited the Varanasi Setu Nigam office and asked all officials not to leave the city till further information.
According to sources in the Chief Minister’s Office, Adityanath may visit Varanasi again on Sunday to assess the situation first hand. India Today
