A probe body formed to investigate last month’s horrific accident in Uttara that saw a massive girder of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project crush five members of a family to death in their car, has found the Chinese contractor responsible for the tragedy.
Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division ABM Amin Ullah Nuri revealed this at a press briefing on the probe report at the Secretariat on Sunday.
The probe body found the contractor firm, China Gezhouba Group Corporation, or CGGC responsible for the accident, he said.
Separately, the probe body pointed to twelve circumstantial reasons behind the accident. These are as follows:
• The authorities concerned were shifting the girder in the daytime for the first time, which is among the prime reasons behind the accident.
• The authorities concerned were ignoring the government holiday without taking any prior permission from the higher authorities concerned.
• The crane was driven by an assistant operator or helper of the crane’s main operator.
• Even the operator had no licence.
• The crane was found driving on a bumpy road.
• There was no digital monitor on the crane.
• The workers did not take any prior approval for the work.
• There was no specific traffic management.
• Ineptitude of the traffic management workers.
• Lack of a safety engineer.
• There was no emergency plan management
• Those found working that day were not approved by the contractor firm.
Few days after the accident, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said there would be no objections on their part if punitive actions is taken against those found responsible for the tragedy in an official probe.
The probe body also provides some recommendations, including to continue the project work after ensuring safety as per the agreement; take prior approval for safety related issue; should be coordinated with the engineer, consultant, police, city corporation and other concerned for road related work; shifting heavy things like girder should take place from 8pm to 6am, after ensuring proper safety measure and must ensure emergency incident management plan and keeping standby capacity cranes or wrecker, ambulance, first aid and emergency doctor in the project area.
The committee suggested bearing the cost of the victims injured in the accident as per prior consensus.
On August 15, five members of a family, including two children, were crushed to death after a girder of the BRT project in Uttara fell from a crane on their private car.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges formed the six-member probe committee to investigate the tragedy on the following day.
Meanwhile, a police case has been filed in connection with the tragedy that occurred around 4.15pm when the girder of the Gazipur Expressway fell on the car from a crane while it was being moved in front of Gazipur Paradise Tower.
The FIR for causing death due to negligence does not name anyone but lists the crane operator and the company responsible for the project, China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd, police said.
