BHOPAL: Amid war of words between the Congress and the ruling BJP over inauguration of a newly-constructed bridge, home minister Narottam Mishra said that former Congress minister Sajjan Singh Verma neglected the guidelines and rules for the inauguration of the bridge in Sehore district.
Mishra said the Congress leader had put several lives in danger. Hence, an FIR was registered against him. “Former PWD minister Sajjan Verma inaugurated the bridge at Nasrullaganj even before the technical parameters and load testing were completed. By doing so, he had put people's lives in danger. If an accident happened, who would be responsible for it? This is why an FIR has been registered against him," Mishra told reporters on Friday.
On June 29, Verma inaugurated a newly-constructed bridge of PWD on Seep river between Nasarullaganj to Khategaon without any official permission. The bridge was to be inaugurated by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 1 after load testing on June 30 and a final approval by the PWD engineers. However, after the inauguration, an FIR was registered against Verma at Gopalpur police station of Sehore.
PWD officials said that the load testing for the 72-meter-long bridge was pending, which would be done after 72 hours of the completion of the construction work. As per the Indian Road Congress rules, a bridge cannot be opened for traffic before a final check for the traffic load and the durability of the bridge.
"The construction of the bridge was over and the traffic clearance was also given. Local villagers were suffering problems due to monsoon and had to travel 30 km to reach their destinations. I inaugurated the bridge to provide relief to the public, but the government registered an FIR against me. It is politically motivated. I will launch a big public agitation in Budhni assembly area against the government’s decision,” Verma told TOI.
