Nabarangpur Bridge Collapse: Police Complaint Lodged Against Contractor, Two Engineers

Nabarangpur: A day after the collapse of an under-construction bridge in Nabarangpur district, a complaint was lodged against a contractor and two engineers in Umerkote police station on Monday.

Notably, a labourer was killed and three were seriously injured when the bridge over Negi river collapsed at Talpadar in Umarkote block on Sunday evening.

Talking to the media on Monday, Nabarangpur Collector Ajit Mishra said Executive Engineer Santosh Samal lodged the police complaint against contractor Ashish Biswal, Junior Engineer Asit Patra and SDO Niranjan Sahu.

Earlier in the day, Superintending Engineer (Sunabeda Division) Pradeep Jena had visited the mishap site.

He told reporters that the mishap might have occurred due to faulty centering support. “Either the pipes used in the centering must be defective or there might be some fault in the spacing between the pipes. We have done the measurement of the spacing and the exact reason behind the mishap will be known after a proper inquiry of the design,” he added.

The incident took place when some workers were levelling the upper surface of the structure on Sunday evening. While a labourer Mahendra Mali died on the spot, the three other labourers were critically injured. They are now undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital.

The construction of the bridge estimated at Rs 2.41 crore is taken up by a Bhubaneswar-based contractor under the Biju Setu Scheme of the Rural Development Department. The bridge was scheduled to be completed in March 2019.

Also Read: One Killed In Bridge Collapse In Odisha’s Nabarangpur