This Article is From Mar 15, 2019

"How Did Mumbai Bridge Collapse Despite Audit?": Families Demand Answers

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the authorities had already conducted a structural audit of the structure and found nothing wrong with it.

Ranjana Tambe was going to work when she was killed in the accident.

Mumbai:

Ranjana Tambe, a nurse at Mumbai's GT Hospital, was passing from under the foot overbridge when it collapsed. She was among the six people who died in the accident. Her body was brought to the same hospital where she worked. "Who will take responsibility for her death?" her relatives ask.

Ms Tambe was going to the hospital as she had a night shift, her relative Roshan Tambe told NDTV. "We got the call at around 9:30-10 pm that Ranjana Tambe had died in the bridge collapse," he said.

"She used to work at the hospital. She was coming to work when the incident took place. She used to live in Dombivli," he said.

Hours after the bridge collapse in which 33 people have sustained injuries, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the authorities had already conducted a structural audit of the structure and found nothing wrong with it.

"A structural audit of the bridge had earlier been done, and it was found to be fit. If such an incident happened even after that, it raises a question on the audit. An inquiry will be carried out. Strictest action will be taken," he added.

Ms Tambe's relatives questioned the government how the bridge collapsed if the audit found nothing amiss.

"They say they had conducted a survey of all bridges. What exactly happened in the survey. If they said the bridge was fine, how did it collapse," another relative of Ms Tambe said.

Another woman, who worked at the GT Hospital, died in the accident. Ten of the injured people have been shifted to the hospital, whereas ten others have been moved to the St George hospital.

The overbridge, located near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, was under repair but it was still in use. The collapse took place around 7.30 pm -- the busiest hours of the evening, when footfall was at its highest.

The Railway Ministry has said the overbridge was under the control of Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Corporation - Sena lawmaker Anil Desai has denied the claim. State minister Vinod Tawde said both Railways and the civic body would investigate the matter.

A team of the National Disaster Relief Force is helping with the rescue work. Senior police officers are at the spot to conduct the operations.

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