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Bridge collapse: toll rises to 28
Twenty one bodies were recovered from the 8,000-tonne-debris of the collapsed bridge on Saturday, taking the death toll to 28. The bridge was being built over the Chambal River on National High 76, reports HT Correspondent.
Twenty one bodies were recovered from the 8,000-tonne-debris of the collapsed bridge on Saturday, taking the death toll to 28. The bridge was being built over the Chambal River on National High 76.
"The rescue operation is proceeding slowly as it is taking a lot of time to time to cut down the metal garters and remove the debris," said District Collector T Ravikanth.
Around 45 labourers were working at the site when the accident happened on Thursday.
The Kota Municipal Corporation, Army, Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC), Police and Railways personnel are involved in the rescue operation.
On the same day Chief Project Officer of Hyundai JY Yoo and Deputy Project Manager of Gammon India R Chattopadhyay were produced in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate.
They were remanded to custody for five days for further interrogation. Gammon India and Hyundai were constructing the bridge that was to be completed in 2010.
Construction work on the collapsed bridge on the Chambal River near Kota city will continue and it will be completed by 2011, officials of Gammon India company said on Saturday.
Rohit Modi, deputy managing director, Gammon India said as per the agreement Hyundai Engineering was to build 65 per cent of the bridge, while Gammon was to build 35 per cent. “But it does not mean that Gammon had less responsibility. We take moral responsibility of the accident. It is a matter of shame."
“The clearance work will take another month and construction will resume after 45 days,” said Modi while addressing a press conference along with Rajasthan Minister of State for Public Works Pramod Jain, and National Highways Authority of India member Subhash Patel.
Patel said that while the real reason behind the tragedy would be established after the investigation, prima facie evidence pointed to “workmanship negligence”.
Modi said, “There were definitely some lapses in the construction, which will be revealed after investigation. Both companies have incurred losses to the tune of Rs 120 crore due to the collapse.”
Asked about the collapse in July of a pillar of the Delhi Metro, another project being executed by Gammon India, Modi said, “Gammon India is a 90-year-old company and has built several bridges and renowned buildings including the Gateway of India in Mumbai. The Delhi Metro collapse was due to a design fault and there was no fault of Gammon India.”
Commenting on the Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mahadev Khandela’s comment that the construction companies would be blacklisted, Patel said, “These companies are the best in the world and are experts in building bridges. After investigation, strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty.”