E-Paper
Gammon, Hyundai officials arrested, probe ordered
Two senior officials of Hyundai and Gammon India have been arrested in the wake of an under-construction bridge over the Chambal river near Kota collapsed on Thursday. Of the 100 people working at the site, nine labourers have died and 50 are missing, reports PTI & HT Correspondents.
Two senior officials of Hyundai and Gammon India have been arrested in the wake of an under-construction bridge over the Chambal river near Kota collapsed on Thursday. Of the 100 people working at the site, nine labourers have died and 50 are missing.
The bridge was being built by the two multinational companies in a joint venture project.
The Chief Project Officer of Hyundai, and R. Chattopadhyay, Deputy Manager of Gammon India, have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and attempt to commit culpable homicide of the Indian Penal Code and lodged in the Kunahri police station in Rajasthan’s Kota district, Divisional Commissioner P.L. Agarwal said on Friday.
But the corporate giants were not willing to explain how the bridge collapsed and related issues. “We are still assessing the situation,” was all that the Gammon India spokesperson was willing to tell HT.
National Highways Authority of India member Subhash Patel said that though the cause of the collapse would be found only after the probe ordered by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath, prima facie it appeared to be a construction fault.
Injured labourer Kalim, 35, said, “I was at the site and felt vibrations. I informed the engineer but he told me to continue my work. Within a few seconds there was another vibration and the bridge collapsed. We did not get time to react.”
Most of the labourers who died were from Punjab, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
The Kota administration on Friday decided to halt rescue operations. Additional District Magistrate, Kota City, B.L. Kothari said, “Rescue operations are being stopped till the administration can decide what to do with the remaining portion of the collapsed structure which is a safety hazard for those working there.”
