Administrative officers including Commissioner, District Magistrate and SSP are reportedly responsible for Tuesday's tragedy in Varanasi that left 18 dead and over a dozen others critically injured.
In fact, the officers ignored SOS of UP Bridge Corporation officials and forcibly allowed traffic to ply under the under-construction flyover that wreaked havoc on Tuesday.
Surprisingly, Bridge Corporation officials were suspended for their negligence but the state government stopped short of initiating similar action against administrative officers, who were equally responsible for the tragedy.
``We wrote several letters to local administration requesting traffic diversion but they ignored it,” revealed Managing Director of UP Bridge Corporation, Rajan Mittal on Tuesday while confirming that the all employees would donate a day's salary towads the family of the victims.
Sources revealed that the Corporation had put up iron barricades to stop traffic movement through the construction site.
But in January this year, then Additional SP Traffic of Varanasi wrote on February 5 and again on February 18, asking the Corporation to immediately remove them and allow traffic movement as diversions would create chaos in the area.
On February 19, Addl SP (Traffic) even warned that if the passage was not cleared for traffic movement, then he would remove cops from the site and responsibility of traffic management would lie with Corporation employees. However, when the Corporation refused citing threat of a tragedy, the administration first warned Corporation officials and later a criminal case was lodged against Chief Project Manager HC Tewari and others at Sigra police station in February. All this was in the know of the SSP, DM and Commissioner of Varanasi.
In fact, soon after tragedy struck on Tuesday night, offiucials of Briudge Corporation and district administration tarded charges.
Sources said that irked by the administration for putting undue pressure to allow traffic movement, Tewari wrote to his bosses and also to the government to get himself transferred to some other place.
In the meantime, the administration removed iron barricades to expand the service lane and started traffic movement just under the bridge. Sources said that after Tewari’s letter, senior officials in lucknow including then Additional Chief Secretary (PWD) Sadakant called Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar and informed him about Baranasi administration putting pressure and creating hurdle for the Corporation in carrying out work.
After this, the matter was taken up with Commissioner, DM and SSP of Varanasi and on their directions, Sigra police submitted a final report against Corporation officials.
However, all these officers ignored the SOS by the Corporation to ensure diversions and the local police continued to allow traffic which finally proved fatal on Tuesday.
Initially the bridge was to complete in March this year but after new design, the same has been extended till December this year.