CDA chairman among 6 sued

A case was filed with a Chittagong court yesterday accusing six people, including chairman of Chittagong Development Authority, for the deaths caused by collapse of girders of the under-construction Bahaddarhat flyover last Saturday.
The accused are: Abdus Salam, chairman of CDA; AMM Habibur Rahman,
project director of the flyover; Nasir Uddin Mahmud Chowdhury, chief engineer of CDA; Khujesta-e Noor-e-Nahareen Munni, owner of construction firm Ekto Parisha Ltd; Md Abdur Razzak, managing director of Mir Akhter-Parisha, a joint venture initiative with Ekto Parisha that got the construction contract of the flyover; and M A Matin, project consultant of the flyover.
Metropolitan Magistrate Nure Alam Bhuiyan ordered Babul Chandra Banik, officer-in-charge of Chandgaon Police Station to investigate the matter after the plaintiff's counsel, Mosharraf Hossain, attributed the loss of lives to negligence of duty and not taking adequate safety measures during construction work.
Jadob Chandra Shil, general secretary of Bangladesh Nagorik Odhiker Foundation, filed the case around 2:00pm, said court sources.
On November 24, three girders of the under-construction flyover fell on a kitchen market killing 12 people and injuring at least 50.
Police lodged a case with Chandgaon Police Station on November 26, accusing 25 people.
Following the incident CDA chairman suspended the officials of the project on Monday.
Three probe bodies have been formed of which only the body of CDA has not begun its investigation.
Meanwhile, a probe body of housing and public works ministry visited the site five days into the incident. Led by Shyam Sundar Sikdar, additional secretary of the ministry, the team met the police and locals and spoke to the newsmen. It said primary investigation indicated a lack of security measures.
“When two accidents occur at a brief interval, it shows that the quality of work of the company is not up to the mark,” Sikder said.
Sikder said the government has formed another team headed by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha chairman to verify the firm's quality of work in constructing the flyover.
Four out of five members of the investigative body were present during the visit including Kabir Ahmed, chief engineer of the Bridge Department, Abdul Mannan, joint secretary of Rajuk and Afil Uddin, engineer of Roads and Highways Department. Chief Engineer of CDA Nasir Uddin Mahmood Chowdhury was also present.