In R’gada: Five including four children succumb to asphyxia in a bridge collapse
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, July 31: Four children and an adult from Uparsaja village of Kalyansinghpur block succumbed to injuries after a newly false ceiling of a bridge under construction collapsed on last Monday.
To avoid heavy rains, the children and an adult were bathing under the bridge. The false ceiling suddenly collapsed also due to faulty design & extremely low quality work. This work under RD department was entrusted to contractor Iswar Gopal Chetty, who in turn, sub-contracted the work to a petty contractor.
“There are heavy kick-backs in almost all the works in RD department of Rayagada. The percentage system, which even runs to 35% excluding 15% less in during bidding process, has made the monitoring officials in the department lackadaisical and a mockery. Unfortunately, it has reached the height of taking lives of innocent tiny tots of a tribal village”, said Johan Majhi, a tribal leader and registered Contractor.
It is still heavily raining in the area and the stream near the bridge is overflowing due to torrential rains. Tehsildar and other Govt staff reached the spot. Post mortem of the bodies is yet to be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the death, which could be due to Asphyxia. The PMGSY road from Kotlapadu to Talasaja involving more than two crore rupees had no danger signboard asking people to refrain from going to construction site . Nor there was any barricade constructed to prohibit people’s trespass.
According to Contractor Chetty, the villagers were taking bath under the false ceiling. Why was he allowed to construct the false ceiling by RD department officials during rainy season ? Was the stay meant to hold the false ceiling strong enough ? Did the officials inspect the work ? Why did not they instruct the contractor to take corrective measures to avoid any untoward incident ? If ever the instructed, did they follow up the action taken by the contractor ? Is sub-contracting legal ? Who is to be taken to task: the department or the contractor ? Who will compensate ? “There are a plethora of questions for the RD department.
They must be held accountable and not shy away in responding to these questions and many more to crop up during and after the inquiry”, lamented Rabindra Patakhandal, Convenor of Suchana Adhikar Abhyan, Rayagada.
In Rayagada RD department, a punishment posting of the present Asst Executive Engineer(AEE) is done. The said AEE is involved in a scam of Rs.74.35 Iakhs at Duburi, Jajpur according to letter of Additional Chief Secretary to Govt of Odisha vide Rural-Development Deptt memorandum No:28365300062022/R.D Dtd:18.04.2022.
He is the monitoring authority in this work. Some citizens of Rayagada wanted to know the status of his appointment here in Rayagada. But there was no response from RD deptt. If tainted officers like the present AEE is given such important works, the district is going witness more and more catastrophe like this”, said a senior scribe Rasmi Ranjan Dora.
A woman, who lost both her husband and child, made asuicidal attempt. There is pall of gloom in the entire area.
The deceased are identified as Lachindra Miniaka(45), son Prince Miniaka(5), Manoj Miniaka(5), Suman Miniaka(5), Saran Miniaka(7). Suman and Saran are brothers. The woman, who attempted suicide by consuming poison, is getting treated at Kayansinghpur medical.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed grief over the incident, declared Rs..4 lakh each to the next kin of the deceased and ordered an inquiry after which stern action against the culprits will be recommended.
