KARACHI, May 19: Though the government claims to have completed the inquiry into the Shershah bridge collapse of September 2007, which killed more than half a dozen people and cost Rs2 billion in damage, it has yet to register a case against the individuals or institutions concerned responsible for what can surely be described as a case of criminal negligence.

Officials said the ministry of communications has received the final report of the inquiry – ordered by the president and the then prime minister hours after the incident – which marks responsibility behind the tragedy.

However, none of the officials have been able to justify the delay in not lodging an FIR against the suspects, but have instead promised “action against them very soon.”“There is no mystery left in the case,” Federal Communications Secretary Sajid Hussain Chattha told Dawn. “The inquiry has been completed and we have marked all those responsible for the incident. Lawful action against them is about to be taken.”

When it was pointed out that the higher officials involved in the project were performing their duties as usual almost nine months after the incident without facing any scrutiny, while the institutions concerned were getting new construction projects in the country, he said action on the inquiry report would determine their fate in the days to come.

Though the federal secretary sounded confident about moves against the culprits, the record at the Site police station – under whose jurisdiction falls the area of the incident – suggests no case has been registered concerning the incident.

The police authorities argue that in such incidents, cases are registered when the reason of negligence appears obvious. Otherwise, the police wait for the higher authorities’ nod to move forward.

“If there is an inquiry into the incident which proves negligence, then an FIR is lodged for further action,” observed Sultan Salahuddin Babar Khattak, the Capital City Police Officer.

The 70-metre Baldia loop of the Shershah Bridge collapsed on Sept 1, 2007, a mere 20 days after its inauguration by President Pervez Musharraf. Dozens of people were trapped under the mangled mass of concrete for over seven hours before being rescued by government organisations and volunteers.

Along with action against the culprits, reconstruction of the bridge seems to be a far cry. The tragedy put a total stop in the over Rs3.5 billion Northern Bypass project.

However, legal experts are of the opinion that the incident should have invited prompt action from the authorities right after the tragedy.

“It is a case of criminal negligence and no one should doubt it,” said retired Justice Rashid A. Rizvi, president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association. “In this case, not only the families of the victims that came under the debris of the collapsed bridge are the aggrieved parties but also the government, which lost billions of rupees due to ill planning by the people and institutions concerned.”

He was surprised to know that the case was not lodged by the state itself and added that after the completion of the inquiry, there was no room or justification for such delay.

However, such arguments do not seem to have moved the authorities concerned much, as they insist action against the culprits – as identified by the inquiry report – will be in line with policy.

“We are not influenced, neither do we look after higher officials or reputed government or private institutions in a way that could prevent us from acting on the report. We expect to move forward very soon,” said Mr Chattha.