Within moments of an overhead bridge collapsing near Harbanspura on Lahore Ring Road, an MNA from PML(N) (famous for claiming to win prize bonds worth Rs 25 million almost every year) came out in defence of the contractor by stating that failure was on part of the truck driver, who is no longer alive to defend himself. The CM Punjab who has a relatively cleaner record of good governance than that in other provinces of federation, should ensure that a transparent investigation be conducted to restore his credibility, which has been eroded by this MNA. What is the stake of this MNA and how does he come up with such an assessment? Was he there on the scene as a witness? Is the MNA involved in the construction business directly or indirectly? If bridges constructed on highways are to collapse upon collision with a truck, than such bridges cannot be declared safe and surely there was a deficiency in either design or quality of construction.
Accidents, earthquake shocks and floods are part of routine load stresses that bridges, over head by-pass roads and walkway bridges are designed to withstand. If properly constructed and designed, bridges survive for over 50 years and more.
Bridge such as the one near Fortress Stadium Lahore or the one on Main Sharah-e-Faisal near Karachi Airport are living proofs of longevity. We have witnessed bridges collapsing in Karachi within months and weeks of completion and no meaningful investigation ever being conducted nor the guilty being punished.
They are not supposed to be fragile ornaments. This investigation must be free from bureaucratic or political interference especially when an elected representative is found to be overzealous in bailing out a contractor under investigation. It is time that public development work be given on contract more transparently and this company, even if it is the NLC, be delisted from the approved list of contractors, in the interest of public safety and safeguarding tax payer’s funded projects.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
