New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta Wednesday said Macalloy, a British company which supplied parts for the foot overbridge that collapsed near a Commonwealth Games venue, has been asked to present its views on the matter.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Mehta said the company was initially asked to do so soon after the collapse of the bridge near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Sep 21 but it did not. At least 27 labourers were injured in the bridge collapse.
‘We have now again asked them to come to Delhi to express their views,’ the top official said, adding that ‘appropriate action will be taken if deficiency is found’.
Mehta’s comments came a day after a two-member committee probing the collapse said no sub-standard material was used in its construction, but Macalloy bars should not be used for similar projects till there was proper and clear understanding on the use and deployment of the system.
Mehta said the government’s point of study would focus on ‘the change in design of the bridge at the last minute, its supervision by the public works department (PWD) and other factors responsible for the collapse of the bridge.’
The committee said: ‘Further clarification from Macalloy is proposed to be obtained by the PWD and, if required, further advice of the committee shall also be obtained before taking further action.’
The committee comprised H.S. Dogra, former director general of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), and Ashok Gupta from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
The 95-metre-long overbridge collapsed a few days before the start of the Games. The army was called in to build an alternative overbridge after the incident.
