Mumbai bridge collapse: BMC suspends two officials in-charge of audit, repair work

A day after six people died after a major chunk of a foot overbridge outside CSMT station in Mumbai collapsed, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday ordered a suspension of two officials who supervised the structural audit work and repair work of the bridge. According to reports, Executive Engineer AR Patil - who supervised the structural audit work in 2017-18 - and Assistant Engineer SF Kakulte - who supervised the repair work in 2013-14 – have been suspended.

Mumbai civic chief Ajoy Mehta has also ordered a departmental inquiry against the two engineers.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation orders suspension for Executive Engineer AR Patil who supervised the structural audit work in 2017-18 and Assistant Engineer SF Kakulte who supervised the repair work in 2013-14. A full-fledged departmental enquiry be carried out against them.

— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2019

“Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation orders suspension for Executive Engineer AR Patil who supervised the structural audit work in 2017-18 and Assistant Engineer SF Kakulte who supervised the repair work in 2013-14. A full-fledged departmental enquiry be carried out against them,” tweeted ANI.

"There is a prima facie reason to believe that the structural audit has been conducted in an irresponsible and negligent manner. This tragedy could have been avoided if the structural audit had been done diligently," said the probe report, naming Prof. D. D. Desai's Associated Engineering Consultants & Analysts Pvt. Ltd.

Meanwhile, the civic authorities on Friday ordered demolition of the remaining structure of the bridge. A team of workers clambered up and started breaking the bridge apart. The work is expected to be completed later tonight.

Often referred to as the 'Kasab bridge', the footbridge connects the suburban and harbour line platforms of Central Railway with a narrow BT Lane exiting to the historic Azad Maidan.

This was the bridge the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab and his fidayeen partner Ismail Khan climbed to go to the Madam Cama & Albless Hospital after killing 58 people in the CSMT on the night of November 26, 2008.