PWD suspends three engineers, contractor’s registration after Nanda Ki Chowki approach road collapse

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

The Public Works Department (PWD) has suspended three engineers over damage to the approach road of newly constructed Tons river bridge at Nanda Ki Chowki. Executive engineer Rajesh Kumar, assistant engineer Amit Kumar Tyagi and junior engineer Naveen Gairola were suspended following the incident, as ordered by PWD secretary Pankaj Pandey.

The authorities also suspended the registration of the contractor following the collapse of the approach road on July 28.

According to the office order issued by the authorities on Friday, the preliminary probe revealed various serious technical shortcomings. The inquiry found that the design consultant was required to prepare the design for diversion of the river, which was not done. The flow of the Tons river became concentrated towards a single span of the bridge, causing heavy scouring upstream of the abutment and creating a cavity beneath the approach road.

The bridge was constructed at a cost of around Rs 16 crore and opened to traffic on July 12. According to the suspension order issued by Pandey, Kumar failed to ensure proper technical supervision, quality control and compliance with contractual conditions. He has been suspended under Rule 4(1) of the Uttarakhand Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 2003 and attached to the office of the PWD chief engineer Dehradun.

The department also acted against the contractor on Saturday. In an office memorandum dated August 8, the PWD suspended the registration of M/s Himalayan Construction Dehradun which was executing the bridge reconstruction and strengthening work. The firm has also been barred from participating in PWD tenders until further orders.

The order says that the inquiry found that the scour depth at the site had not been properly assessed. The inquiry officer recommended Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Test (ERT) to assess the extent of the scouring. The registration of Himalayan Construction has been suspended with the immediate effect till the assessment is completed and further orders are issued.