2010 foot overbridge collapse: 3 staffers of contractor summoned

A city court on Tuesday summoned Samarjeet Singh,executive director of P&R Infra Project Limited (PRIPL) and two other employees,accused in the collapse of the foot overbridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which injured 27 people just before the Commonwealth Games.

The foot overbridge had collapsed on September 21,2010. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate has summoned the three accused – Samarjeet Singh and two other employees assisting him on the site,H M Tripathi and C M Pillai for endangering human lives through their negligence under Sections 337 and 338 IPC. According to the investigation conducted by the interstate crime cell the bridge had collapsed due to “deficiencies during the construction which resulted in a unsafe and uneconomical bridge.” The investigation was carried out in association with professors from IIT,Roorkee.

The chargesheet attributes “undue haste,lack of appropriate construction methodology and omissions on part of PRIPL’s contractor” as reasons for the collapse of the bridge. The hearing in the matter will commence on September 26,2013. Pawaljeet Singh,the managing director of PRIPL has not beenchargesheeted in the case since there is no evidence of his direct supervision over the project.