By Our Reporter
Shillong: The magisterial probe into the recent collapse of a suspension footbridge over Didramutnari river at Chichotcheng in East Garo Hills has blamed the principal of the Riverside Adventist Academy Malaki M Rimsu for the accident.
Rimsu is held responsible because he did not obtain any technical approval from concerned department before the construction of the bridge.
It may be recalled that 39 students and two American missionaries were injured when the hanging bridge collapsed last month.
A magisterial inquiry was ordered immediately after the accident. An Extra Additional Commissioner PD Sangma was entrusted with the job. Sangma submitted his report to the district administration recently
The 60m-long suspension bridge was constructed last year by the managing committee of Riverside Adventist Academy School at a cost of Rs 16, 86, 674.
“Tampering and weakening of the tensile strength of MS Steel for making anchorage is found to be the root cause of the collapse”, the probe report said.
The inquiry report has asked the district administration to issue necessary instructions to the PWD engineers in the district to inspect all the bridges to ascertain their fitness.