NURUDDIN Vs. KHARE TARKUNDE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The river Wainganga with a span of 555 meters separates Gadchiroli and Mul and for want of bridge, a ferry service used to operate between the towns in the sixties. In 1967, M/s. Khare and Tarkunde of Nagpur, a company of construction engineers, were awarded the contract of construction of a bridge over Wainganga. The Company had three engineers, M/s. Vaidya, Kashikar and Menon working as resident engineers at the site. A complement of ten staffers and labour force of 200 used to reside at the site. The company had constructed a labour camp and other facilities for the workmen, an approach road to the Bridge site, a Camp office for themselves and another office for the Public Works Department. The design of the bridge was made by Dr. Pandit a specialist who used to occasionally visit the site.

(2.) From the Govt. side, Dave was working as an Executive Engineer stationed at Chandrapur who was assisted by one G. S. Deshpande, Deputy Engineer.

(3.) The Construction company used to fabricate and assemble steel girders an essential structural component at the site. Each girder was about 220 feet in length, and weighed a Massive 55 tonnes. To effect easy movement and launching of this heavy girder, the Company had adopted a system by which the girder was placed on two trollies which ran on land rails placed at the approaches of the bridge.