Bhopal: The image of an unusual 90-degree turn on a newly-constructed railway overbridge (ROB) in Bhopal had gone viral on social media a few days ago.
It caught the attention of the state government also.
Heads have ultimately rolled over the faulty design of the overbridge, in Aishbagh area of the state capital.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that 7 engineers, including 2 chief engineers of Public Works Department, have been suspended with immediate effect, while a departmental inquiry would be conducted against a retired senior engineer.
“I took cognisance of the serious negligence in the construction of Aishbagh ROB and ordered an inquiry. On the basis of the inquiry report, action has been taken against eight PWD engineers,” Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on X late in the evening.
The construction agency and design consultant have been blacklisted, and a committee formed to make necessary improvements in the ROB, the chief minister informed.
“The ROB will be inaugurated only after improvements are made,” he added.
The sharp turn on the 648-metre bridge, constructed at the cost of Rs 18 crore, attracted criticism and ridicule, with local residents and netizens questioning the weird design and flagging the accident-prone construction.
The engineers against whom action was taken are — chief engineers Sanjay Khande and G P Verma, in-charge executive engineer Javed Shakeel, in-charge sub-divisional officer Ravi Shukla, sub-engineer Umashankar Mishra, assistant engineer Shanul Saxena, in-charge executive engineer Shabana Rajjaq, and retired superintendent engineer M P Singh, said PWD additional chief secretary Neeraj Mandloi.
Architect firm M/s Puneet Chaddha and design consultant M/s Dynamic Consultant have been blacklisted.
