Under-Construction Bridge Girder Falls Off Biju Expressway

Bargarh: One of the girders of an under-construction bridge on Paikamal-Nuapada Biju Expressway in Padampur area in Bargarh district collapsed on Thursday.

According to initial reports, the girder collapsed when the construction work was underway today. However, there were no reports of any injury or loss of life in the incident.

Meanwhile, local residents have raised questions over the execution of the project and alleged that the girder collapsed due to sub-standard material used in the construction.

Earlier, the locals had reportedly moved various forums alleging poor work in the bridge construction. However, the concerned department officials did not find any proof of poor quality work in the construction following which the work resumed.

On the other hand, CP Gantayat, the executive engineer of the project has ruled out the allegations of low quality work and instead clarified that the incident might have happened due to technical fault.

"From quality of construction to grouting operation, everything seems to be fine in the project but I think the incident happened due to unstable bearing. The bridge construction was carried under due monitoring by quality inspection panel and other officials so sub standard work allegations do not make any sense. But to find the cause, a probe has been launched after higher ups were informed. This apart, steps will soon be taken to put back the girder," said the executive engineer.

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