Engineers and Contractor responsible for deaths due to bridge collapse taken to task
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, August 1: Office order by Sanjay Singh, Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Govt of Odisha vide File No-283653007 dated 31st July 2023 contemplates disciplinary proceedings against Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, Executive Engineer, Muduli Venkat Raman, Asstt Executive Engineer, Rajesh Kumar Mandal all belonging to Rural Works Division, Rayagada. They are put under suspension with immediate effect till further orders and instructed to report to Chief Construction Engineer(CCE), Rural Works Circle, Sunabeda as their headquarters. They are ordered not to leave their said headquarters without prior permission CCE.
This order was issued due to gross negligence & dereliction of duty of the said officials in monitoring the road works in which a bridge caved in during morning hours of last Monday and five persons died including four children namely Laxmidhar Miniaka, S/O Subiri, Age 50, Prince Miniaka, S/O Laxmidhar Age 4, Charan Miniaka, S/O Raju Age 8, Suman Miniaka, S/O Raju Age 5, Manoj Kulesika, S/O Ramesh, Age 5 died under the derbis at village Uparsaja under Sikarpai GP in Kalyansinghpur Block. Dipai Miniaka, being grief stricken, who took poision and got admitted in K Singhpur PHC, is recovering at home. So also the health condition of Anwesh Miniaka(5), who was rescued live from the debris with grievous injuries, is improving in his village.
Sarapanch of Sikarpai filed FIR in the name Bugada Jyoti, w/o-Late Gandhi Gopal Chetty, contractor of the said road work. Iswar Gopal Chetty, younger brother of Gandhi, who was slained by Maoists, is managing the whole show. Collector Swadha Dev Singh has assured that the CM’s granted compensation amount of Rs.4 lakhs each to the next kin of the deceased person will be disbursed once it reached the district within 2 to 3 days. “All others responsible for the incident will be taken to task and justice will be meted out to the affected”, Singh said.
