The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Muslim Jung bridge repairs likely to cost Rs. 40 lakh

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Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Muslim Jung bridge repairs likely to cost Rs. 40 lakh

No clarity yet on who will pick up the bill for the work

HYDERABAD: The remedial measures necessary to repair the cracks in the newly built Muslim Jung bridge across the Musi could cost at least Rs. 40 lakh or more.

But it is still not clear if the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will pick up the tab or will make the contractor cough up the sum.

Construction experts like Mahesh Tandon and others who had earlier visited the bridge in the dock had reportedly suggested a tier wall along the cantilever cracks that had appeared in five of the pillars be built to restore it.

Scaffolding

“We want to put support scaffolding to the girders to begin with so that further damage can be averted,” said a senior GHMC official.

The contract for the second time was given for an estimated cost of Rs. 4.5 crore after the first contractor, NBCC, had left on completing nine piers at a cost of Rs. 1.05 crore.

The second contractor, Narasimha Rao & Company, had built three piers and five pier caps along with abutments and superstructure.

He has been paid little more than a crore and the balance amount was held up after the cracks were noticed.

GHMC officials do not want to absolve the contractor even if it turns out that the original designs approved are proved to be sloppy.

“The contractor should have done his own design study and should have informed us in case of any doubt. Our own field staff too should have been alert or at least noticed the cracks as the structures were standing for six whole months,” said the official.

Second stage

It is clear that whatever modifications were made during the first stage of NBCC work to ensure there were no cracks was not done when the second contractor did his work.

“The design change was not recorded for the second stage to follow suit,” says the official.

While five engineers were earlier suspended for the lapse, two more engineers repatriated to other departments - T.D. Mohan Rao and Mukhedkar, too have been issued suspension orders by the Government on Tuesday. These engineers were supervising the project.

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