Nabarangpur: The Nabarangpur Police on Sunday arrested Assistant Engineer Asit Patra in connection with the collapse of the under-construction bridge near Talapadar village under Umerkote block in the district in the evening of January 10. With this, the number of arrests in the case rose to two.
Reports said, Patra, who was absconding since the incident, was arrested by the Umerkote Police from Tikiri area in Rayagada district, informed Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Hemant Kumar Padhi.
Earlier on January 12, contractor Asish Biswal, engaged in the construction of the bridge was arrested from Baula Matha Sahi in Puri.
The Executive engineer of Rural Development Department had earlier filed an FIR against SDO Niranjan Sahu, junior engineer Asit Patra and contractor, Asish Biswal at Umerkote Police Station. The trio was on the run after the mishap.
The incident occurred when a slab of the bridge over Nagi river suddenly caved in while some workers were leveling the upper surface of the structure. Mahendra Mali of Raighar village in Nabarangpur district died on the spot, the other three labourers Prakash Bhoi, Ramesh Bhoi and Santosh Bhoi of Patrapara village in Puri district sustained critical injures and admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH).
The 68.25 mtr long and 8.45 mtr wide bride is being built by a Bhubaneswar-based contractor under the Biju Setu Scheme of the Rural Development department. The bridge was scheduled to have been built at a cost of Rs 2.41 crore by March 2019. But the contractor could not complete the bridge within the deadline due to unknown reasons.
(Edited By Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)
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