Zamrudpur mishap-II: probe blames contractor

“In his report,Singh suggested that four cranes in tandem made it difficult to assign load,” DMRC chief E Sreedharan said. “If two cranes were used,and the lifting process was done in two stages,it would have been successful.”

“In this case the contractor has been found guilty of miscalculation and lack of professionalism. We will issue a showcause notice to them.”

Gammon,meanwhile,rejected the claim. In a statement,the company said,“DMRC engineers were fully aware and involved in the operation.” Gammon said it is yet to receive “any communication” from the one-man probe panel.

But Sreedharan maintained that an error of judgment by Gammon in using cranes resulted in them toppling over. “Fortunately,no one was injured but three cranes were damaged. We realise there was no coordinated action as the cranes were called in from different hiring sources but the contractor should have been careful.”

He said DMRC will wait for Gammon’s reply to the showcause notice before taking any action.

Meanwhile,Rajan Kataria,chief engineer (design),who was part of the inquiry team looking into the collapse of the launching girder on Pier 67 at Zamrudpur on July 12,has been withdrawn to ensure that the team is not influenced. “If any flaws are found in design or in the use of sub-standard material all officials involved will be held responsible,” Sreedharan said.

The inquiry report into the accident was slated to be presented to DMRC today but the experts have asked for more time. “We have refused to extend deadline for the team and expect the report to be submitted latest by Thursday,” Sreedharan said.