An FIR was lodged at the Umarkote police station on Monday against three persons in connection with the collapse of an under-construction bridge near Talapadar village in Nabarangpur district that killed a labourer and left three others critically injured. The FIR was filed against contractor Ashish Biswal, Junior Engineer Asit Patra and SDO Niranjan Sahu, informed district Collector Ajit Mishra.The authorities said the bridge caved in due to poor-quality centering work.
Notably, a portion of the under-construction Biju Setu over the Nagi river collapsed on Sunday while the centering work was underway. Four labourers working on the bridge fell down and a heap of concrete and iron rod buried them.Other labourers, who were staying near the construction site, rescued the injured ones and rushed them to the Umarkote Hospital. One of the injured, Mahendra Mali (45), succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital.Work for the bridge, which is being constructed to connect Talapadar with Janiguda, has been awarded to Bhubaneswar-based Contractor Ashish Biswal. The bridge is being built under the Biju Setu Yojana.
