The Bhartiya Bikash Parishad has urged the Governor and the Chief Minister to cancel the extension of Works Department Engineer-in-Chief-cum-Secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan’s tenure in view of frequent incidents of bridge collapse occurred during his period.
Holding Pradhan responsible for death of two persons in the Bomikhal bridge collapses and injuries of many persons in such incidents occurred at different places, the Parishad too demanded that a CBI inquiry be conducted into all incidents soon.
Notably, the Government has extended Pradhan’s tenure to one year before his schedule retirement on March 31, 2018. The Parishad termed the extension as illegal.
In a letter sent to the Governor and the CM, the Parishad mentioned that while four pillars of the Jatamundai Bridge in Cuttack district had been collapsed on August 27, 2014 in 20 labourers were injured, no action had been taken against the errant.
Similarly, on September 10, 2017 a section of the Bomikhal flyover collapsed in which a person was killed and more than 15 persons injured. Though the executing agency, Panda Infra Private limited, was blacklisted by the Government on December 12, 2017, the company again allowed completing the project.
Stating that Pradhan is also responsible for the 2nd incident of Bomikhal bridge collapse May 3, 2018, Panigrahi too said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is equally responsible as he extended Pradhan’s tenure for one more year.