The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the nodal agency for infrastructure projects here, has initiated an inquiry into the collapse of a section of a metro rail bridge yesterday, in which one person was killed and 16 injured.
A committee headed by Indian Institute of Technology Bombay professor K V K Rao would probe the incident and suggest safety measures to avoid such instances in the future. The committee includes MMRDA chief engineer S B Tamsekar.
Mumbai Metro One, a special purpose vehicle set up by Reliance Infrastructure and MMRDA to implement the metro project, has also initiated an internal inquiry into the incident.
The Maharashtra Police has registered a first information report against metro contractor Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), which was roped in by Mumbai Metro One. HCC has also been asked to carry out safety and structural audits to ensure such accidents do not recur.
MMRDA Commissioner Rahul Asthana told Business Standard, “MMRDA is not executing the metro phase-I project, neither was it a supervisor. The project implementing agency is Reliance Infrastructure arm Mumbai Metro One, which roped in HCC as contractor. Still, we have ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident to ensure adequate safety standards are maintained during project implementation.”
Though Mumbai Metro One refused to divulge the details on the probe initiated into the accident, a company spokesman said, “We deeply regret the accident at the airport station metro site, being constructed by our contractor HCC. Our emergency response team, along with HCC staff, is at the site to provide rescue-and-relief services, which is our priority. We will keep the media and affected parties posted, as we obtain more information on the accident.”
When contacted, an HCC spokesman declined to comment.
The Rs 2,356-crore Mumbai Metro phase-I project has already missed the completion deadline. Both MMRDA and Mumbai Metro One hope this phase would now be operational by March. The 11.07-km first phase would link Versova-Andheri in the western suburbs to Ghatkopar in the eastern suburbs.
