PM orders inquiry into flyover collapse

Shehbaz says negligence will not be tolerated in construction of Bhara Kahu underpass project

ISLAMABAD:

A day after girders of a flyover of the under-construction Bhara Kahu underpass collapsed, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee to inquire into the incident. The inquiry committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan will look into every aspect of the incident that occurred on Thursday.

The committee has been directed to prepare the inquiry report on an emergency basis and submit it to the prime minister. Prime Minister Sharif said that no negligence would be tolerated in the construction of the Bhara Kahu underpass project.

Earlier, the Capital Development Authority, the executing agency of the multi-billion project, confirmed the incident saying no injuries or casualties happened. In the CCTV footage that circulated on social media, the massive concrete girders of the flyover could be seen tipping over before hitting one another and eventually caving in entirely.

At least five giant girders fell from the top of the bridge to the ground. The incident spread panic among the people present at the scene. All labourers working on the flyover remained safe. As the so-called robust girders fell down, they turned into piles of unusable debris, which not only exposed the poor-quality material being used for the underpass project but also caused the additional cost to the national exchequer.

As these girders now will have to be rebuilt, the project would also face an inordinate delay. Ass heavy girders fell to the ground and blocked a portion of the road, and traffic going and coming from Murree and Islamabad was diverted to an alternate route.

Earlier, CDA Chairman Noor-ul-Amin Mengal warned that “departmental action will be taken against the officials concerned for the negligence.” He said that the accident occurred due to a “crane slipping”. “The safety and health of the labourers cannot be compromised at any cost,” he said.

Sources said that since March 23 was given the deadline for the completion of work on the project, the girders were hurriedly placed without proper homework, which led to the incident. It is also worth noting as the girders fell to the ground, steel reinforcement appeared from the cemented concrete that spread all around. The incident also put a question mark on the quality of the material being used in the construction.

Earlier, the shuttering of the flyover suddenly fell down, as a result of which two labourers were killed and eight others injured. Earlier too, the CDA highups had ordered an inquiry into the incident, promising due diligence in carrying out the project.