Malkangiri: The seven-member team of the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) left for New Delhi Sunday after completing audit of the Gurupriya Bridge in the cut-off areas of Chitrakonda block in Malkangiri district.
“We will submit a report to the Odisha government on the audit,” team leader GK Sahoo told media persons here. The three-day audit of the Gurupriya Bridge had started on May 31 and ended June 3.
The central team carried out a detailed audit of the overall construction quality and the safety aspect of the bridge. Besides, the team also examined the precautions taken and the materials used in the construction of the bridge.
State Works Secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan said preparations for the inauguration of the bridge will begin after the CRRI team submits its final report to the state government.
Pradhan said trial run of vehicles was being carried out on the bridge. If any defect is found by the CRRI team during the inspection, it will be rectified and then opened to the public, he added.
The state government had decided to conduct a third-party audit of the Gurupriya Bridge in the wake of the collapse of a portion of a flyover in the Bomikhal area in the state capital.
In a letter to the Director of CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research), Chief Engineer, DPI and Roads in the Works department, Om Prakash Patel had requested to conduct a third-party quality audit for the bridge, construction of which has been completed recently.
Responding to the request, the CSIR on May 7 had informed the Works department about its willingness to conduct the audit at a cost of Rs 38.56 lakh which was approved by the state government.
PNN