Probe committee formed over metro rail bearing pad collapse

A probe committee has been formed to investigate the incident in which a bearing pad fell from a metro rail pillar in Dhaka’s Farmgate area on Sunday, killing a pedestrian.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the committee includes experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) to examine the technical and engineering aspects of the incident.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within two weeks. The committee is headed by Mohammad Abdur Rouf, Secretary of the Bridges Division under the ministry. Other members include Professor ABM Toufiq Hasan of BUET’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lieutenant Colonel Zahidul Islam, Associate Professor of MIST’s Department of Civil Engineering, and Brigadier General (Retd) Mohammad Abdul Wahab, Project Director of DMTCL’s Line-5. Deputy Secretary Asfia Sultana will serve as the member secretary.

The accident occurred at noon when a bearing pad fell from a metro pillar in front of the Krishibid Institute, striking a passerby identified as Abul Kalam Azad, 40, from Shariatpur, and killing him instantly.

The government has announced Tk 500,000 in financial assistance for the victim’s family. Additionally, if any family member is unemployed or able to work, the government has pledged to provide a suitable job placement.