Mumbai, March 16: Facing backlash for giving a clean chit to DD Desai’s Associated Engineering Consultants on maintenance of foot over bridges in the city, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai on Saturday issued a show cause notice to the firm and sought a reply within 15 days asking why they shouldn't be blacklisted and loss shouldn't be recovered from them. The notice comes two days after the foot overbridge collapse outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Thursday evening, where six people died, and 34 were injured.

In the notice, sent to the DD Desai’s firm, the MCGM said, “The structural audit (submitted by firm) is not carried out correctly and major lapses are observed in conducting the Structural Audit of Bridge on the background of sudden collapse on 14.03.2019 i.e. within a short period of submission of Report on 13.08.2018.” Mumbai CSMT Bridge Collapse: BMC Releases Preliminary Audit Report, Suspends 2 Officials; 2 Retired Chief Engineers to Face Department Inquiry. 

Adding on, it stated, “You are hereby called upon to show cause within 15 days from the date of service of this notice upon you as to why the action of blacklisting and preventing you from taking any future work, should not be initiated against you and why recovery of loss suffered by M.C.G.M. should not be recovered from you.”

Here’s the tweet mentioning about the notice issued:

The notice also made it clear that if no reply is received within 15 days of service of the notice upon the firm, it would be presumed that the firm have nothing to say in the matter and further action as deemed fit, including blacklisting/preventing the firm from taking any structural audit work shall be initiated.

Earlier, the administration informed that Dadar foot over bridge in Mumbai to be temporarily closed for strengthening work with effect from March 17 2019. Along with this, the staircase would be closed for 13 days and the ramp for 90 days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2019 10:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).