Kota tragedy: Two railway engineers killed in under-construction underpass collapse; relatives claim negligence | Today’s news
Two railway engineers were killed after a chunk of earth collapsed under an under-construction underpass on NH-52 near Dara Ghati in Rajasthan’s Kota district on Thursday evening, officials said. The tragic incident occurred around 8:00 pm under Modak police station limits when engineers were inspecting the construction site.
The deceased have been identified as Prabhat Singh (30), a junior probationary engineer from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and Sanjay Kumar Jha (47), a senior section engineer from Dhamaura in West Champaran district of Bihar.
Kota Divisional Chief Commercial Officer Sourabh Jain told PTI that part of the ground near the under-construction underpass suddenly gave way, trapping two engineers under the debris.
Railway officials said the rescue operation started at that time with the help of JCB machines only and the two engineers were brought out in a critical condition within 15 minutes.
They were taken to a hospital in Kota, where Prabhat Singh was declared dead on arrival, while Sanjay Kumar Jha later died during treatment, officials added.
What did the family members of the victims claim?
The family members of the two deceased engineers have alleged negligence on the part of the railway authorities. They claimed that two engineers were sent for the inspection on the Eid holiday despite insufficient manpower at the site.
Singh’s relatives said he had joined the service only three months ago and was handling major duties during his probationary period. They demanded an alternative job for his wife.
Ravindra Jha, elder brother of Sanjay Kumar Jha, also alleged negligence on the part of the railway authorities and said that not enough workers were present at the spot during the inspection.
The Chief Commercial Officer of Kota Division reacts
Expressing grief over the deaths, Kota divisional chief commercial officer Sourabh Jain described the incident as unfortunate and dismissed allegations of negligence.
He said that Sanjay Kumar Jha is supervising the place and claims that all the required security measures have been followed. Jain added that the families of the victims would be given compensation as per the rules and that an inquiry into the incident had been ordered.
Jha joined the Indian Railways as an engineer in Rajasthan in 2005, said his elder brother Ravindra Jha.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakhan Lal of the local police station said Prabhat Singh’s body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem at MBS Hospital. The postmortem of Jha will be conducted after some of his relatives arrive from Bihar, he added.
The underpass is being built at a price ₹9.98 crore on the stretch of NH-52 near Dara Ghati on Jhalawar road to reduce frequent traffic jams in the area.
