Probe body finds negligence

Faulty engineering work, negligence and lack of coordination among the agencies concerned caused three girders of the Bahaddarhat flyover in Chittagong to collapse leaving 12 people dead and 50 injured on November 24, said a government probe report.
The five-member committee, led by Additional Deputy Commissioner Khaled Mamun Chowdhury, submitted a nine-page report before Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan around 10:00pm yesterday.
Khaled told reporters that they had also made a 12-point recommendation.
The committee suggested that a technical body be formed to supervise the quality control of the rest of the construction, safety gears be increased at the site and it be made off-limits to the public.
The probe body blamed the contractor, consultant and the supervision authority for the incident. It recommended taking necessary steps against them, Khaled said.
Meanwhile, the newly-appointed project coordinator of the flyover project came down heavily on the contractor, Mir Akther Parisha.
Project Director Kazi Hasan Bin Shams said the contractor was moving the girders at night without notifying the supervisor, Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), and violating the work schedule.
He said the CDA could not ensure safety measures as it had no clue the girders were being moved at night.
Shams said there had been no communication between the CDA and the contractor since the girder collapse.
The contractor for the flyover project could not be reached for comments.