Vijayawada: Political parties on Tuesday demanded immediate action against officials concerned and the arrest of the contractor, following the collapse of a part of an under-construction flyover at Gunadala, part of the Inner Ring Road.
Accusing officials of the Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali Urban Development Authority of being negligent while contractors used low-quality material while constructing the flyover, leaders and activists of Telugu Desam, YSR Congress, CPI, CPM protested, demanding suspension of the officials.
However, the protests prompted UDA vice-chairman M. Rama Rao to clarify, “Three slabs had been placed on the pillars while another was hoisted but not put in place. This slab fell on the others and the four slabs collapsed. There were no causalities. We will submit a report to the government and will take action against the contractor and officials concerned.”
The four slabs that collapsed were part of a 900-meter long stretch of the flyover being constructed by RSV Constructions, a Hyderabad-based company.
The collapse of part of the flyover has given rise to allegations that the contractor has been negligent during its construction and care is not taken to ensure its quality. “The newly laid concrete was not even properly cured with water,” alleged an onlooker who lives nearby.
Executive engineer B.S. Srinivas said that a tipper was visible under the debris. “It might be the reason for the collapse. Each of the slabs had cost about Rs 16 lakh. The contractors will have to bear this cost,” he said.
TD leaders D. Umamaheswara Rao and Buddha Venkanna said that the fact that the slabs broke into pieces was proof that low quality material was used. They also accused the UDA officials of failing to keep a check on the quality.
YSR Congress leader P. Gautham Reddy alleged that the iron rods used in the slabs were just 8 mm thick, instead of the recommended 20 mm. Reddy also alleged that the ratio of cement to sand mixture was not correct.
CPI and CPM leaders Ch. Babu Rao and D. Shankar also inspected the site and demanded an inquiry into the incident. Construction of the 119 crore IRR was taken up in 2008 and it is expected to be completed by March 2014.
It is ironical that though the UDA has its own team of engineers to maintain quality control, it had also hired Moody International Technical Inspection Services, a third party, company to check the quality of the works.
