The foot over bridge (FOB) in Mumbai, which connected the bustling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus with the BT Lane, was one of the busiest FOBs in the city used by hundreds of commuters every day got collapsed on March, 15. According to police officials the incident happened around 7.30 pm when a large portion of the bridge fell on Dr. D N Road affecting north-bound traffic on JJ flyover during peak hour claimed seven lives.
The police first after investigation arrested Neeraj Desai, whose firm conducted a structural audit of the FOB along with Sandeep Kalkute, an assistant engineer with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The executive engineer Anil Patil, who was Mr. Kalkute’s immediate superior and his reporting head was also arrested. Both were posted with the Bridges department and were suspended by the BMC immediately after the collapse.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Abhishek Trimukhe said, “Investigations till now indicate that both the accused did not perform their duties concerning the inspection and structural audit of the bridge. They failed to be present at the time of the structural audit and ensure that it was conducted satisfactorily.” Mr. Trimukhe said according to the BMC manual of 2011, there has to be a strong system of bridge inspection that ensures a manual bridge inspection twice a year in April and October and that this system was not followed. An officer who is part of the investigating team said prima facie investigations into the collapse have indicated that it occurred because the lower part of the bridge, which had sustained heavy damage, gave way.
Mr. Kalkute who is an assistant engineer in BMC was in a position to know the state of the lower part and to recommend repairs, or even a structural audit of that portion, which he never did. Had the damage sustained by that portion been flagged and addressed in time, the collapse might have been prevented. In the recent development of the matter on May 9th a charge sheet has been filed by the Mumbai police stated that firm which carried out the structural audit did not follow the guidelines laid down by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC). The 709-page charge-sheet, which contains the statements of 85 witnesses, said Desai’s firm had mentioned in its audit report that the FoB was in a ‘good condition’. Several guidelines of the IRC pertaining to the structure of bridges were not followed during the audit.
Courtesy/By: Jayant Upadhyay
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11 May 2019
