Collapsed Mumbai bridge auditor Neeraj Kumar Desai arrested

Mumbai, Mar 18: Neeraj Desai - the auditor who had conducted an audit of the CST bridge in Mumbai that collapsed on March 14 killing six people has been arrested on Monday. He has been booked for negligence.

The accused auditor will be produced in the Killa Court on Tuesday.

The company has also been issued a show cause notice. In 2016, Professor D D Desai's Associated Engineering Consultant and Analysis Pvt had audited the bridge, and found it in "good condition".

The preliminary inquiry report has pointed towards negligence on part of the auditor and contractor. Officials said the notices have sought their replies within 15 days.

While the report has blamed the Prof Desai for not carrying out structural audit correctly and observed major lapses in its work, the contractor has been held guilty of conducting poor repair work that resulted in the collapse of the bridge.

The bridge, officially known as 'Himalaya' foot overbridge, collapsed at around 7.30 pm. The bridge which was said to be almost 39 years old, was constructed in 1980.

Following the mishap, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives and an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each for those who were injured in the accident.

The bridge connected the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station with the Azad Maidan Police Station.