Gurugram flyover collapse: Contractor barred from future bids

NEW DELHI: Sending a strong message, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Thursday barred construction major Oriental Structural Engineers from participating in future NHAI bids till it demonstrates “reliable construction methodologies, designs and adequate safety measures”.
The decision follows the collapse of the flyover at Sohna Road in Gurugram, being built by the company, and sources said this would effectively mean the ban may continue till the construction of the flyover is completed as per the norms set by National Highways Authority of India.
A portion of the flyover on Sohna Road had collapsed on the night of August 22, though there was no casualty or injury. Sources said that NHAI has rejected all the claims and responses of the company after it was served a showcause notice. Earlier, NHAI had barred the team leader and head of quality control of the project for two years.
Responding to what steps are being taken to hold the officials from the highways authority directly responsible for supervising the work, a senior official said, “Action is being taken as per process.”
An official statement issued by the highways authority said the company’s explanation to the showcause notice was found to be “unsatisfactory” and lapses were found in implementation of safety measures, workmanship and adherence to construction methodologies and procedures, which were highlighted time and again to the contractor before the mishap. “Therefore, it was established that concessionaire failed to discharge its obligation to construct a safe structure and to ensure safety of the user and pedestrians on the previous occasions and during the accident as well,” the statement said.
After the Sohna incident, NHAI has started revisiting all past such instances to find out what action has been taken by the authority, including one in Gujarat and another in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. It has warned the contractors, concessionaires and consultants to maintain the standards as per the contractual obligations and any failure will attract strict action, including blacklisting.
Last week, the highways authority had come out with detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) to be followed in case of such incidents. These included the field staff visiting the site immediately and sending a preliminary report within three hours with photographs and video and samples for testing. A committee of three experts from the empanelled list will visit the site within 24 hours and submit a preliminary report within three days.