ISLAMABAD: Former Chairman, National Highway Authority, Farukh Javed must be taken to task for the wrongdoings, he and his team allegedly committed during their tenure of appointment in the National Highway Authority. During the question hour of the National Assembly on Friday, the PPP legislator raised the point that Sher Shah Bridge Collapse at Karachi Northern Bypass is a striking example of inaction on the part of Musharraf regime and the National Highway Authority colossal engineering failure, first in the 61 years history of Pakistan, occurred on September 01, 2007 when a newly constructed Sher Shah Bridge of the National Highway Authority collapsed killing 14 persons, and injuring many, including three under-training police constables. The bridge was inaugurated by Former President, General (Retd) Musharraf on August 6, 2007. But till date, not a single individual has been brought to justice.
She demanded Prime Minister Makhdoom Yousaf Raza Gillani to constitute a high level inquiry committee comprising the parliamentarians, technical experts and media to investigate and re-evaluate the Sher Shah Bridge Collapse, considering pros and cons of the matter.
She said criminal neglect investigation and prosecutions must be carried out in light of the report filed by Muhammad Iqbal Haq and Associates (MIHA) In-house Bridge Design Consultant of the National Highway Authority following his visit to the site of Sher Shah Bridge, Karachi Northern Bypass during its construction period on 18-5-2006 (Available on record) in which he had categorically said: “That instead of wasting good money on trying to recoup ones losses it is better to adopt the simple and safest method that is likely to ensure results which is Demolish and Redesign Correctly”
Fauzia Wahab said it is nation’s demand that Former Chairman NHA, Farukh Javed and his team who are directly responsible for Sher Shah Bridge Collapse at Karachi Northern Bypass be booked and given exemplary punishment under law of the land. What is the surety that other similar bridges including Sher Shah Bridge on river Chenab, Indus Bridge on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway constructed in the same era and by, more or less, the same people are not likely to collapse too? She questioned.
A common Pakistani has perhaps become accustomed to limitless cruelty of its civic bodies and corrupt government functionaries. When something goes wrong for us, it’s not ours; it’s the fault of others, she concluded.
Replying to her question on Sher Shah Bridge collapse, Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Chaudhry Saeed Iqbal said that inquiry has been completed by Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission and the action on the inquiry report is in progress. He said that the cost of the damaged portion was Rs 90 million. To a supplementary the Parliamentary Secretary for Communications said that the inquiry report has pin-pointed that there was a fault in design of the bridge.-SANA
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