Kendrapara bridge collapse: 3 engineers suspended for compromised quality of work

Odisha government on Friday suspended three engineers of Kendrapara Division of the Works Department on charges of gross negligence in connection with the collapse of an under-construction bridge over river Gobari on Kendrapara bypass.

The engineers suspended are; Prasan Kumar Samal, A.E., Section-I, under Sub-Division-I, Kendrapara (R&B) Division-I, Khirod Chandra Behera, E.E., Kendrapara (R&B) Divn.-I, and Nihar Ranjan Majhi, A.E.E., Kendrapara (R&B) Divn-I.

The action was taken after it was prima facie established that all these three engineers have violated the Odisha Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1959; and were found guilty of 'gross negligence in duty, technical flaw & compromised quality of work; leading to the collapse of one pre-stressed concrete girder along with incidental damage to the H.L bridge over river Gobari at 2nd Bypass road of Kendrapada Town.'

The bridge is being constructed over the southern part of the Gobari River to connect the Kendrapara bus terminal with Tinimuhani. On March 15, a girder over the main bridge collapsed. It collapsed just 14 hours after the slab was placed on the pillars.