FOB probe blames supplier,contractor

Insufficient knowledge of a new construction technique triggered the collapse of a key foot-overbridge near the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony venue a few days ahead of the opening ceremony.

Insufficient knowledge of a new construction technique triggered the collapse of a key foot-overbridge near the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony venue a few days ahead of the opening ceremony,the Delhi government said on Tuesday. Macalloy,the UK company which supplied parts for the bridge,didnt give sufficiently warnings about design constraints and the contractor devised his own technique which proved faulty,it said.

The fault originated in the bars and joints on which the walking deck was to hang,possibly because of asymmetrical loading which resulted in over-stressing of the Macalloy joint connecting the deck slab with the suspenders,said a PWD release. The footbridge was in the final stage of construction when it collapsed on September 21,injuring workers and raising worries about Games preparations.

H S Dora,a former CPWD DG,and Ashok Gupta,an IIT-Delhis Civil Engineering Professor,who probed the incident,said no substandard material has been found to have been used,virtually giving a clean chit to the POD and design consultant Tandon Consultants Pvt Ltd. The probe committee has recommended that Macalloy bars may not be used for its similar projects,the release stated,till there is proper and clear understanding on the use and deployment of the Macalloy system. Clarification from Macalloy is proposed to be obtained by the PWD,and,if required,further advice of the (probe) committee shall also be obtained before taking further action, the release read.

PWD officials said the footbridges rainbow design,with a prefabricated steel walking slab hung from 26 steel suspenders,was a first for Delhi. The probe is said to have found that the design detailing of the joints between the deck and suspenders in respect of asymmetric loading and rotation of the gusset plate,where the joints are done,was not carried out.

The probe committee checked the bridge design,which was prepared by the Tandon Consultants Private Limited and cleared by the Central Road Research Institute,stated the government release.

The consultant had recommended that Macalloy parts could be used to assemble the bridge,but it didnt provide the construction methodology,the release stated. The contractor M/s P&R Infraprojects Ltd devised the procedure on their own and did not obtain the necessary approval for the same, the release read.

After the collapse Macalloy said they felt the orientation of the gusset plate was in the wrong plane,the release stated,but no such observations were made by them when the drawings were forwarded to them in April this year for fabrication and supply of the system.

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Asked by the inquiry committee to clarify why this suggestion was not given in April,M/s Macalloy provided no response, the PWD release said.

Appropriate action will follow based on the findings of the report. We are studying the report, said Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta.

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commonwealth games