Experts have said that the consultant and officials of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project must shoulder some of the responsibility for the tragic crane accident that claimed five lives in Uttara on Monday, and all of the blame should not be placed on the Chinese contractor and crane operator.
A preliminary probe report on the incident on Tuesday placed the majority of the blame on the contractor and crane operator, although it acknowledged that BRT officials responsible for safety measures were also at fault.
On Monday, box girders were being installed at the BRT project area in absence of consultants, project engineers, and security staff.
“Contractors, project officials, and consultants all have responsibilities. It is the duty of consultants and engineers to check safety and security when the contractor is working. A contractor should never be working without project officials and consultants,” said Prof Adil Mohammad Khan, executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development.
Officials and engineers of the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) said two types of measures need to be taken to ensure safety and security during construction: Measures to prevent and minimize risk of accidents, and measures to deal with accidents if they occur.
Measures of neither type were in place at the BRT project, they added.
Sources from the RTHD sand Dhaka BRT Company said the construction company has been working without following safety and security guidelines since the beginning. The contractor has installed around 60 box girders in the last two years.
“Without the consent of the consultant and project officials concerned, the contractor never gets the bill. So, there is a responsibility of the consultants here,” said Prof Adil.
According to the BRT company officials, four consulting firms are engaged in the BRT project. At the beginning of each construction activity, the safety and security measures taken must be mentioned in written form. The contractor will receive the bill only if the consultant and the project authority are satisfied with these matters.
The consulting firm is supposed to supervise the work at every level of project implementation.
An RTHD official on condition of anonymity said: “The contractor always tries to save money. It is the responsibility of the consultant and the project authority ensure they are safety compliant. If you don’t do that, it is normal that the quality of work will deteriorate, and accidents will lead to death.”
However, Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri on Tuesday exclusively blamed the contractor and said they may face contract cancellation, fines, and blacklisting. The punishment will be confirmed after submission of the final probe report.
Quoting Teague Macreem, lead supervision consultant for the project, Nuri said the contractor was not supposed to work on Monday, which was a holiday on account of National Mourning Day.
Prof Shamsul Haque of the Buet civil engineering department said: “It is unusual for no one to notice when the contractor is doing such a big job of his own accord. What is the benefit for consultants and project authorities? How are contractors getting bills if consultants are not there?.”
RTHD Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri however said action would be taken against all who were found responsible for the accident in the final probe report, not just the contractor.
The RTHD has already issued show cause notices to all officials concerned to find out why work was progressing without the consultant being informed.
Chinese contractor Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group Company Limited won the contract for implementing the elevated part of the project by submitting the lowest bid.
Contractor, BRT company asked to submit security compliance
Construction work on the project was suspended after the deadly accident by Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam on Tuesday said the construction work will resume after getting assurances of compliance with safety and security measures.
“We will call a meeting on Sunday to see the security measures the contractor and BRT company will take in future,” he added.
RTHD Secretery Nuri echoed that the contractor would give a written plan on safety measures on Sunday.
Meanwhile, RTHD Chief Engineer AKM Manir Hossain Pathan met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday.
RTHD sources said it was a pre-scheduled meeting with the prime minister and not about the crane accident. However, the prime minister still issued directives to the RTHD chief engineer to ensure safety at construction sites.
When contacted Manir Hossain Pathan declined to comment on the matter.
On Monday, five members of a family, including two children, were crushed to death after a girder of the BRT project in Uttara fell on the car in which they were traveling.
Writ seeks 1C each for families of victims
Lawyer ABM Shahjahan Akand Masum on Wednesday filed a writ petition with the High Court (HC) seeking Tk1 crore in compensation for the families of the five people killed in the crane accident.
The writ also sought a report on steps taken by the BRT authorities to ensure public safety in the last five years.
Earlier, another SC lawyer, Advocate Sagufta Ahmed, on Tuesday filed a separate writ petition seeking High Court directives to ensure proper investigation into and appropriate action against those responsible for the accident.
The bodies of four of the victims were laid to rest in Jamalpur on Wednesday.
