Kolkata bridge collapse: Govt ups ante against contractor

Getting tough in the aftermath of the Kolkata flyover tragedy, state's agencies cracked the whip against the contractor and arrested three of the mid-level officials of the Hyderabad-based firm and detained five others, sealed their Kolkata office and directed its CMD to join the probe as death toll rose to 24, besides injuring and maiming for life several others. Alongside, the government ordered a probe into the role of its own agency, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, said sources, adding that those arrested included three officials of IVRCL entrusted with the job of building the ill-fated Vivekananda Road flyover. In addition, a team of officials also went to its Hyderabad office, which later informed that the design of the Vivekananda flyover has been prepared by a reputed consultant from Kolkata and that the project awarded to IVRCL to build the 2-km flyover, which was lying in limbo for over half decade now. To avert the occurrence of such tragedies in future, the road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has directed both NHAI and his officials to review all ongoing bridge projects and also to undertake necessary maintenance and repair of old ones on war footing. An advisory to this effect came to top engineers and officials shortly after the flyover collapsed in Kolkata claimed valuable lives workers and other road users. He has also advised contractors and engineers to ensure safety measures and quality bridge construction ensuring safe and incident-free construction of bridges and other infrastructure projects across the country.