Varanasi Over-Bridge Collapse Tragedy: Yogi Adityanath recommends penal action against 7 officials

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered penal action against seven officials, including the sacked Managing Director UP Bridge Corporation Limited Rajan Mittal, in connection with Varanasi over-bridge collapse tragedy in which 18 people were killed.

In its report, the three-member probe committee had indicted these seven officials holding them responsible for the over-bridge collapse. While Rajan Mittal was shunted out by PWD Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hours before Chief Minister initiated action, the Chief Project Manager H.C. Tiwari, Project Manager K.R. Soodan, Assistant Engineer Rajesh Singh and Junior Engineer Lal Chand were already suspended on May 15 soon after the tragedy.

An FIR has already been lodged at the Sigra Police Station against UP Bridge Corporation, its officials, engineers and contractors under Sections 304 and 308 (Culpable Homicide not amounting to murder) and the Crime Branch has been directed to initiate probe and file chargesheet against those found guilty.

The Chief Minister also recommended action against former Project Manager Genda Lal and Additional Project Manager Rajesh Pal. All these officials and engineers were directly involved in the construction of the flyover in Varanasi which had caved in on May 15.

These officials were indicted by the probe committee, headed by APC Raj Pratap Singh, for negligence, neglecting safety and security measures, callousness, not getting designs approved by the competent authorities before undertaking works, not maintaining check list and proper records of construction material at the site.

The probe panel pointed that the two beams fell as they were not interlocked with cross beam and pillar columns. It also pointed that if proper barricading was done at the construction site to disallow traffic under the over-bridge, human lives lost in the tragedy could have been averted. Though the panel did not raise any question with regard to quality of construction but it has raised fingers on its designs and approval by competent authorities.

The Chief Minister also issued a check-list of procedures to be strictly adhered by the PWD, UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Limited (UPRNN) and UP Bridge Corporation Limited to ensure safety and security measures at all construction sites and get the quality inspection done by a ‘third party’.