Fears about India’s ability to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games were realised on Tuesday afternoon when an under-construction footbridge near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium came crashing down, leaving 27 labourers injured, four of them critically.
The incident comes as a major embarrassment for the Suresh Kalmadi-led Games organising committee and the government, who have repeatedly been reprimanded by Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell. It also forced the Prime Minister’s Office to step in and ask questions.
The 95-metre-long overbridge connecting a car park with the stadium collapsed at around 3.10 pm on Tuesday as construction crews were carrying out some last-minute welding work.
“Four labourers were trapped under the debris as the bridge collapsed in parts and they are in a critical state. They have been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. The condition of some others is stable,” said deputy commissioner of police (south) H.G.S. Dhaliwal.
A case of negligence has been registered at the Lodhi Colony police station. However, till late Tuesday evening, no arrests had been made by the police.
The overbridge collapse was the second such incident since Monday, when a canopy erected at the stadium fell, injuring an additional deputy commissioner of police and another
policeman.
The footbridge was being built along with another overbridge at a cost of `10.5 crores by Chandigarh-based PNR Infra, which was awarded the contract by the Delhi government’s public works department. However, in a late night face-saving act, the Sheila Dikshit government has now blacklisted the company.
A Delhi government statement also said a two-member committee had been set up to inquire into the incident, which will submit its report within three days.
Delhi PWD minister Raj Kumar Chouhan tried to pacify frayed tempers, saying that the mishap had occurred due to unequal distribution of weight. He claimed that the quality of work had not been compromised. “An inquiry has also been ordered into the incident. The bridge will be constructed before the Games start on October 3,” he said.
However, there were also attempts by some sections of the government to blame the bridge collapse on the continuous rains. In a hurriedly-called press conference, Union urban development minister S. Jaipal Reddy blamed the rains for the incident.
“There have been heavy rains for the last 20 days, which may be a cause of the collapse. I don’t have much details about the incident. But I am sure the Games will be absolutely world-class,” Mr Jaipal Reddy said.
The urban development minister’s optimism was, however, challenged by the engineering head of the Delhi government.
“It did not happen because of rain. Something has gone wrong leading to the incident. We are looking into all aspects,” PWD chief engineer Rakesh Mishra said. Admitting that the incident was a “setback”, Mr Mishra said he was confident that the project would be completed before the Games.
The Opposition too targeted the government for its inability to complete construction work on time. “The situation is worrisome. The government is unable to convince us about both the level of preparedness and the security. What will make this government understand that this is a SOS situation?” asked BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.