2 civic engineers suspended post audit on Mumbai bridge collapse

Mumbai: Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on day suspended two civic engineers in connection with Thursday’s foot overbridge collapse which claimed six lives.

Mehta also ordered a probe against them and a departmental inquiry against two retired chief engineers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The directions were given by the civic chief following an inquiry conducted by the chief engineer (vigilance).

Executive engineer A R Patil, who had supervised the structural audit of the bridge in 2017-18, and assistant Engineer S F Kakulte who had supervised its repair works in 2013-14, were suspended and a departmental enquiry has been ordered against them, an official said.

Mehta also ordered a departmental enquiry against the then chief engineer (bridges) S O Kori and the then deputy chief engineer R B Tare (both retired).

Charges will be framed against the officers accordingly, the official added. Six persons were killed and 31 injured after a section of the foot overbridge near a busy train station in south Mumbai collapsed during evening rush hour on Thursday.