NEW DELHI, SEPT 21
Under attack over preparations and cleanliness, Government today faced further embarrassment when an under-construction foot over-bridge collapsed injuring 27 people outside the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the main venue for the mega event.
The collapse of the 95-metre long hanging bridge was the second such incident since yesterday when a canopy erected at the stadium fell, injuring an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and another policeman.
The bridge, which was intended to be a showpiece and connect the parking lot of the stadium with other side of the street in Lodhi Road area in South Delhi, caved in at around 3.10 pm when construction work was underway.
Twenty-seven labourers were injured, five of them seriously, in the incident that occurred outside the stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games would be held.
The bridge was being built along with another over-bridge at the cost of Rs 10.5 crore by Chandigarh-based company PNR Infra, Delhi Government sources told PTI.
The firm has been blacklisted, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said as she ordered a probe by a two-member committee which will file its report within a fortnight.
The Government also announced a compensation of Rs one lakh for each of those who sustained grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 to the other injured.
Dikshit said the over-bridge was constructed for athletes and the Games officials and it was not meant for the common public. She said Government was making alternate arrangements.
However, a PWD official said the facility was being constructed for entry of spectators to the stadium.
PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan said the mishap occurred due to “unequal distribution of weight” when the labourers were putting mix of concrete when it fell.
He contended that “The structure is fine” and “we can make the (collapsed) structure operational before the Games.”
A “different structure” can also be made, he said.
Interestingly, Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, who heads the Group of Ministers on the Commonwealth Games, sought to blame the rains for the collapse.
“There have been heavy rains for last 20 days. I don’t have much details about the collapse. But I am sure the Games will be absolutely world class,” Reddy said.
PWD Chief Engineer Rakesh Mishra, however, had a differing view on this. “It did not happen because of rain. Something has gone wrong leading to the incident. We are looking into all aspect of it”, Mishra said.
The PWD Chief Engineer admitted that the incident was a “setback” but expressed confidence that the project would be completed before the Games that start on October three.
Delhi Government’s Principal Secretary (PWD) K K Sharma has been asked by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to file a detailed report on the incident, officials said.
Describing it as an “unfortunate incident”, PWD Chief Engineer said one of the pins might have fallen causing the collapse.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H G S Dhaliwal said a case of accident was being registered in connection with the collapse. Details are being sought from the engineering department and investigation will be held, he said.
A team of Crime Branch officials also visited the spot and launched parallel investigations.
The accident site was immediately cordoned off. Huge cranes and earthmovers were pressed into service to clear the debris while gas-cutters were used to dismantle the huge iron bridge which collapsed.
