Varanasi flyover collapse: Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation's Managing Director removed, cement samples sent to IIT for investigation

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday removed the Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation, Rajat Mittal, over the Varanasi accident where part of an under-construction flyover caved in, officials said. The disaster killed 15 and injured half a dozen people. [caption id=“attachment_4471199” align=“alignleft” width=“300”]  Rescue operation post Varanasi Bridge Collapse. PTI[/caption] Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who also holds the charge of Public Works Department (PWD), relieved Mittal off his duties. He has now been replaced with JK Srivastava as told by an official to IANS. Earlier in the day samples of iron beams, cement, concrete and other construction material used in the collapsed Varanasi flyover were sent for “quality and standards test” to IIT-Roorkee in Uttarakhand. Meanwhile, a three-member team set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the matter continued with its investigations for the second consecutive day on Thursday. The team led by Agriculture Production Commissioner Raj Pratap Singh, also visited the site in front of the local Cantt Railway Station, they recorded statements of witnesses and held detailed deliberations with officials of the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation and the district administration, besides getting it photographed by a drone. The team, which has been mandated to look into all aspects of the tragedy, has also recorded statements of suspended officials KR Soodan, Rajesh Kumar and Moolchand. It also spoke to Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal, District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra and few other police officials.