Mintu Chowdhury
Senior correspondent
Chittagong, Nov 26 (bdnews24.com) — Experts believe Saturday's flyover collapse that killed at least 12 people and injured many more was triggered due to the negligence of authorities as they failed to beef up security measures after a previous accident at the same under-construction overpass.
Accidents in under-construction sites are common in Bangladesh due to lax security measures. One of the girders of the same flyover had collapsed on June 29 and probe held lack of security measures as the reason behind the accident.
After Saturday's accident, many of those harmed in the accident have demanded punishments to the construction firms as well as Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) chief Abdus Salam for negligence in supervision.
People have expressed indignation as representatives of neither CDA nor the two firms, Meer Akter Enterprise and Parisha Enterprise, had visited the site even until Monday afternoon.
Three girders between pillar numbers 12 and 13 of the under-construction Bahaddarhat flyover caved in around 7:30pm at Bahaddar Barhi killing at least 12 people.
Locals and witnesses said at the time of Saturday's collapse, vegetables vendors, rickshaws and passersby were under it. Local youths were also seen gossiping there.
Despite the June 29 accident, no steps were taken against the construction firms and there were no efforts to ensure adequate security measures at the construction site after the accident.
"The accident occurred due to despicable security measures. How come a market sits under an under-construction flyover?" former President of Chittagong Engineers' Institution Delowar Hossain Majumdar told bdnews24.com.
"No construction work can take place without adequate security measures and fences," he added.
The bdnews24.com correspondent did not see security fence on either side of the 1.4-kilometre overpass. Locals said they had not seen security fences here since the construction work began.
They alleged neither the CDA nor the contracting firms paid heed to this threat.
"Security is the prime concern before going ahead with any construction, which was not maintained in any way during the Bahaddarhat flyover work. Construction was going on keeping the whole area in a vulnerable state," Majumdar said.
"The negligence of the CDA and the construction firms was behind the accident," he added.
Majumdar said Bangladesh did not have the technological capability to place girders on the flyover after constructing them outside. "The girders have to be constructed vertically on the flyover pillars."
He said equal level of pressure must be maintained under the girders while shifting them. Otherwise, they tilt. "For this adequate security measures are needed, which were not in place."
Our Correspondent saw four more under-construction girders between pillar number 12 and 13, one of which is slightly bent on the upper side and no cross-girders were seen among them.
Witnesses and locals said girder shifting was underway when the accident took place. One of the girders had fell bending in the street below. On its way down, it collided with two others and those girders also fell.
Each of the girders of the Bahaddarhat flyover is nearly 130 feet in length and 7 feet in width.
Majumdar concluded that such a tragic accident took place as the shifting was being done at night with inadequate light and security measures, and absence of experts.
Meanwhile, the administration formed a five-strong committee to probe the accident, a day after the incident.
Chittagong's Mayor M Manjur Alam, former Mayor A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Amin, Environment and Forest Minister Hasan Mahmud and many other political leaders went to the spot.
BNP's port city unit chief Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury went to the spot on Sunday noon and blamed negligence in the construction work and not taking lessons from previous incidents for the accident.
"We could not get in touch with any CDA members despite our attempts," Chittagong's Additional Divisional Commissioner Nurul Islam had told journalists on Sunday.
He hoped the CDA would take necessary steps at least after the second accident.
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