Behind death of 3 who fell off UP bridge, many red flags – except on road that mattered

The victims were on their way to Bareilly to attend a wedding function and were using Google Maps when the incident took place, their families say. The incomplete bridge spans the Ramganga river, connecting Dataganj in Budaun to Faridpur in Bareilly.

The district administration has registered an FIR against four engineers from the PWD’s Budaun unit, charging them with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. No arrest has been made so far. The accused include junior engineers Mohammad Arif and Abhishek Kumar, as well as Additional Engineers Ajay Gangwar and Maharaj Singh.

Executive engineer Naresh Kumar has also been held responsible in the PWD’s preliminary enquiry, though his name does not figure in the FIR.

The preliminary inquiry revealed that proper barricades or signboards were not installed to alert commuters about the unfinished bridge. Additionally, a wall that had been built to block access, but later damaged by miscreants, was never reconstructed, allowing vehicles to approach the incomplete structure, the preliminary inquiry found.

Three persons were killed in the incident. (PTI)

“Naresh Kumar, who is the head of the unit, is also among the five engineers identified. In the inspection report sent to the headquarters in Lucknow, I recommended departmental action against them,” said PWD chief engineer Ajay Kumar.

The construction of the bridge began in 2018-19. Initially, the UP State Bridge Corporation and the PWD jointly undertook the project, with the PWD responsible for constructing the approach road. In 2021, after completing its portion, the Bridge Corporation handed over the bridge to the PWD to wrap things up.

Officials claim that the approach road on the Faridpur side was under construction when the Ramganga river changed its course. Around 14 months ago, the under-construction section on the Faridpur side was washed away in a flood, leaving the bridge incomplete, said an official of PWD.

Chief engineer Kumar said barricades have now been installed, and explained that since the river’s course has shifted, they have requested that a model study of the bridge be conducted. The study will determine the area, direction, and extent to which the bridge needs to be extended, and what precautions are needed so that such a thing does not occur again.

‘No one has visited us’

The three who died have been identified as Amit Kumar (34), Vivek Kumar (32), and his cousin Nitin Kaushal (33).

Amit Kumar, originally from Mainpuri, ran a security agency in Gurgaon. Vivek and Nitin worked with him. Amit lived in Gurgaon with his wife and three children, while the families of Vivek and Nitin resided in Farrukhabad.

Amit’s younger brother, Sunil Kumar, said, “After graduating, Amit moved to Gurgaon and started working there. Later, he opened a security agency and got married. His death is tragic, and so far, no government officials have come to meet us.”

Sunil said Amit had returned home with his family around Diwali and stayed for 15 days.

Vivek and Nitin’s families lived in the same locality in Farrukhabad.

Nitin’s younger brother Gulshan Kumar said, “The three were on their way to a wedding function in Bareilly when the incident took place. We are shocked at how careless a government agency can be. No one bothered to put up a signboard or any barrier to indicate that this road was unsafe. Nitin is survived by his wife and a month-old son.” He said Nitin had been working in Gurgaon for the past nine years.

Vivek Kumar is survived by his wife and two children. “He had been living in Gurgaon for over a decade. On Sunday, Vivek was going to attend his cousin’s wedding in Bareilly. On Sunday evening, he called his cousin Govind that he had reached Dataganj, and would use Google Maps to reach Faridpur in another 15-20 minutes. The accident took place when he got on the bridge from Dataganj,” said Vivek’s father Harendra Kumar.