Bridge collapse: PWD probe team gathers evidence

Hamirpur, April 2

A four-member fact-finding team of the Public Works Department (PWD), formed to probe the reasons behind the collapse of a slab of an under-construction bridge near Jahu in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, inspected the spot late evening on Saturday.

The quality control team of the department gathered evidence throughout the day and noted down the statements of officers and people involved in the construction work, but the debris of the broken bridge was missing from the site.

Several officers, including the Chief Engineer of Hamirpur, were present on the spot. Vijay Chowdhary, one of the senior engineers working at Hamirpur, informed that the quality control team returned to Shimla after its probe.

The slab of the bridge over the Sunaihal khad between Jahoo and Kot to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2.4 crore, which collapsed last week, raised questions over the working of the PWD and the agency entrusted with the construction work.