Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday blamed Odisha government's inefficiency for the Bomikhal flyover tragedy in which one labourer was killed while another was injured.
Accusing that the government did not wake up from slumber even after the first mishap in September last year, Pradhan demanded an impartial probe by a reliable agency like IIT Chennai that has expertise in civil engineering to ascertain the quality of the construction work.
Pradhan also targeted the third floor for allowing a blacklisted construction agency to carry out the project.
"The government is inefficient as it did not take concrete measures even after the first mishap rather officials were reinstated and executing agency was allowed to continue with the construction work," said Pradhan.
The recent tragedy has raised concerns over the quality of the construction work as thousands of commuters will be using the flyover bridge that will serve as a major connecting link between various destinations in Bhubaneswar.
The Union Minister further stated that the instead of sacking few low level officials, strict action needs to be taken against the real culprits responsible for such incident.
On the other hand, a day after his arrest, owner of Panda Infra Projects Pratap Kishore Panda was sent to Jharpara jail late on Friday.
Earlier, Panda was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital from Capital hospital after he produced medical documents regarding his kidney stone operation.
It is pertinent to mention here that Panda Infra Projects was blacklisted after a portion of the under-construction Bomikhal flyover project had caved in on September 10 last year.
However, the concerned agency is listed as a superclass contractor list of the Works department.