Probe finally finds foreign contractor responsible

Substantiating the preliminary findings, the inquiry committee found the Chinese contractor of Bus Rapid Transit Line (BRT) project mainly responsible for a fatal accident for its alleged 12 counts of negligence.
The mishap occurred in carrying out the box-girder shifting work on the project site in Uttara on the day of a government holiday.
The contractor, China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC), carried such work for the first time in daytime when permissible time was from 8pm to 6am, according to the committee report.
However, the committee, formed soon after the accident occurred on August 15, held the supervision consultant partly responsible for not conducting immense monitoring on safety compliance by visiting the project sites, which led to the accident.
While briefing journalists on the probe findings in detail, Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri Sunday said the report was prepared in detail after reviewing all relevant documents and contracts and interviewing a total of 40 people.
He said the Chinese citizen working in the CGGC, nearby people of sites as well as those accused and arrested in connection with the police case filed after the accident on permission from the court, consultants, project-financier Asian Development Bank were interviewed.
The (RTHD) formed the seven-member committee with Additional Secretary Neelima Akhter as convenor which earlier submitted the preliminary report after overnight investigation on August 16, finding the CGGC responsible for the accident that killed five members of a family as a box girder fell on their private car during shifting in a busy road without any barricade.
When asked about not finding responsibility of the BRT project office, he said no such responsibility of the office was found by the committee as they worked mainly to find the reason for the accident on the day of August 15.
The Secretary said the Chinese contractor carried out the work without prior permission from the consultant when the day was a government holiday and no permission was there to mark the national morning day.
"The inquiry committee also revealed that the Chinese company for the first time carried out the girder-shifting work at daytime, which is also not understandable," Mr Amin Ullah Nuri elaborated.
The secretary said the consultant gives methodology on the work plan and safety before related work is carried on any site.
Other reasons found by the committee include the crane used in the construction site has no licence, no digital monitor and its parking was uneven, lack of traffic-management measures during the work, people engaged in traffic by the contractor were not trained, having emergency plan and engaging the workers by the contractor with no approval.
Besides, the committee found that the crane was being operated by an assistant, not engaging qualified safety engineer, no safety arrangement.
Committee convener Neelima Akhter, who was also present during the briefing, replying to a question, said all the people including the crane operator, traffic management engaged at the accident site were hired by the Chinese contractor.
"Total plan is taken as safety plan and work are done afterwards. We have learned a lot from this case. The entire team was working under the CGGC and there was no other party at the construction site during the accident, excepting it," she said.
When asked about any recommendation about punishing the responsible, the Secretary said the committee is not supposed to recommend punishment against the responsible as it is the part of the head of procurement.
The responsibility of the committee was to find the responsibility, not punishment, he said, adding that the head of procurement entity will take legal action based on the report as well as all relevant documents.

smunima@yahoo.com