Home ›› 19 Aug 2022 ›› Front
Rakib Hossain (23), a helper of the crane operator, was operating the crane to lift a girder that fell on a private car leaving five people, including two children, dead in Uttara.
Rakib had no training on operating crane while his boss crane operator Al Amin Hossain alias Hridoy (25) had no driving license either to operate such a heavy vehicle.
When the accident happened Hridoy was instructing Rakib from nearby before the girder fell on the private car.
RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Khandakar Al Moin said this at a press briefing on Thursday after arresting 10 including the operator and security personnel from Dhaka, Gazipur, Sirajganj and Bagerhat on Wednesday night.
He said the crane had no fitness to lift such heavy girder. BRT Project Contractor China Gezuba Group Company (CGGC) gave the work order to a company named Ifscon Bangladesh Ltd to supply heavy machinery.
Owner Iftekhar Hossain (39) and Head of Operation Azharul Islam alias Mithu (45) who was also arrested hired the crane responsible for the accident from a ‘third party’ firm named Build Trade Company as Ifscon did not have a large crane, he said.
Apart from this, Four Brothers Guard Service’s traffic man Afroz Mia (50) and Md Rubel (28) who were in charge of ensuring safety of the project area, CGGC’s Safety Engineer Zulfikar AliShah (39) and Procurement Officer Manjurul Islam (29) were arrested for negligence in duty, he further said. They erected heavy girders on important public roads without checking the operators’ skills, qualifications and fitness.
Besides, an additional crane was supposed to be present during the installation of the girder but it was not there, said the Media Director of RAB.
In primary interrogation RAB learnt that Build Trade Company’s Marketing Manager Tofajjal Hossain alias Tushar (42) and Administrative Officer Ruhul Amin Mridha (33), who were also arrested, were in charge of renting the crane, contracts, driver hiring and other responsibilities including checking the fitness of cranes.
They hired operator Al Amin who wasn’t licensed to operate heavy vehicles. The license of the crane responsible for the tragic accident was last checked in 2021. But this year there was no fitness check of the crane, said Al Moin.
He also said no safety nets were installed and adequate traffic was assigned to ensure safety during the installation of heavy girders on the day of the accident.
Apart from this, the work was going on without informing the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and other authorities for traffic management despite the risky work.
Chinese envoy for punitive action after probe report
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming has assured that there will be no objection to taking punitive action as recommended by the probe committee against those responsible for the Uttara Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project’s fatal girder accident.
The ambassador made the remark during a courtesy meeting with Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri at the secretariat on Thursday morning.
Li Jiming expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the Dhaka BRT project’s girder accident in Uttara on Monday and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured, said a press release from the division.
The secretary said a high-level delegation of the Chinese contractor of the Roads and Highways Department’s Dhaka BRT project had arrived in Bangladesh from China to investigate on behalf of the company.
The delegation is ready to provide necessary assistance to the probe committee formed by the Road Transport and Highways Division, he added.
The committee has been asked to submit its final report within the next seven days, said the secretary.
Strict action will be taken as per the recommendations of the report, he said.
