SRINAGAR: A three-member expert team of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday inspected the site of a fatal incident during construction of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district, with a preliminary assessment pointing to a technical snag during the launching operation.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at Package-15 of the expressway in Jakh village of Vijaypur tehsil, where a 25-year-old labourer from Bihar was crushed to death after a span segment slipped at the construction site.
NHAI Jammu said the expert team, comprising specialists with extensive experience in the field, carried out a detailed technical examination of the incident.
The team inspected the sophisticated launching gantry involved in the operation, along with the relevant design details and sequence of work, to determine how the failure occurred.
“Prima facie, the incident appears to have occurred due to a technical snag during the launching operation,” NHAI said in a statement, adding that a detailed examination was continuing to establish the precise cause and identify corrective and preventive measures.
The authority said the deceased worker’s family had been suitably compensated and that the company had also provided employment to his next of kin.
NHAI said it remained committed to maintaining safety standards during construction and for highway users, adding that all necessary measures would continue to be taken across the project.
