Staff Reporter :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered to investigate the death of five people in a private car under a girder and to blacklist the company contractor implementing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project if found guilty.
She also directed for taking action against the officials responsible for the incident.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina passed the order while presiding over a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) via video conference from her official residence Ganobhaban on Tuesday.
On Monday, two passengers of the private car – a newly married couple Rezaul Karim Hridoy, 26, and Riya Akter, 19 – were rescued, but the rest of the passengers – Jharna Akter, 27, her two children Zakaria, 4, and Jannat, 6, and Hridoy’s father Ayub Hossain Rubel, 55, and his mother-in-law Fahima Akter, 38, died on the spot after felling of a BRT girder.
A case has been filed against the Chinese contractor for the BRT Elevated Expressway.
However, referring to the Prime Minister, Planning Minister MA Mannan and State Minister Dr Shamsul Alam told reporters that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had directed to take action against those responsible for the Uttara crane accident.
Describing the accident as tragic, the Prime Minister wondered how the project director, contractors and other concerned did it without ensuring the safety measures, the Planning Minister said quoting the Prime Minister.
MA Mannan said, the premier has directed to conduct a thorough investigation and actions will have to be taken after getting the probe report.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said that the Secretary of Roads and Highways Department ABM Amin Ullah Noori presented the initial report on the Uttara accident in the ECNEC meeting. “The initial report revealed the negligence of the contractor,” he added.
Afran Mondal Babu, the brother of deceased Fahima Akhtar and Jharna Akhtar, filed the case against China Gezhouba (Group) Corporation (CGGC) under sections 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 (causing death by negligence) of the Penal Code with Uttara West Police Station.
Meanwhile, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam on Tuesday suspended the construction works of the BRT Elevated Expressway. The DNCC mayor made the announcement during his visit to the spot of the incident at Uttara’s Jasimuddin road.
The project to create separate lanes for specialised buses across an area of about 20km from Gazipur to the airport is being implemented by three government agencies – the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), the Bangladesh Bridge Authority and the Local Government Engineering Department. Three project directors are in charge of coordinating the work of the three agencies.
The project work that started towards the end of 2012 as part of the plan to finish the construction of the BRT by 2016 has not been completed by one-third in 10 years. During this time, both the project completion tenure and cost have doubled.
