Government not averse to judicial probe into Metro mishap: Minister

Government today said it was not averse to holding a judicial inquiry into the Delhi Metro accident but would await the report of an expert committee set up to go into the causes of the mishap.
     
Urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy, while responding to concerns raised by a member in the Lok Sabha over yesterday's mishap, rejected the contention that the accident had occurred due to hurry to complete projects in view of the Commonwealth Games next year.
     
At the same time, he emphasised that the accident in East of Kailash area will not affect the projects that are targeted to be completed before the Commonwealth Games and added that due care will be taken to ensure that there is no compromise with safety.
     
"Judicial inquiry is no panacea. We are not averse to ordering any judicial inquiry," Reddy said responding to CPI member Gurudas Dasgupta's demand.
     
The minister, however, noted that a four-member committee of experts had been set up by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that will go into the causes of the accident and submit its report in "just 10 days".      

Reddy, whose ministry is the nodal body for implementing the Delhi metro project, said the expert committee will examine aspects like design, quality of material used and precautionary measures, and give report by July 22.
     
"We will look at the report and then take a view," he said. However, if any member wanted any more aspect to be included in the terms of reference, it could be done.
     
Terming as "unfortunate" the accident in which six workers were killed, he disagreed with the view that it had happened because of "hurry" to complete projects.
     
"We are keen to complete projects in view of the Commonwealth Games but we will never compromise with quality just for the sake of any project ... It will be our endeavour to ensure that there is no recurrence of accidents," he said.
     
Reddy said the track record of DMRC has been of international standards.
     
While giving details of yesterday's accident, he said the incident would lead to a delay of three months in completion of the work on the particular stretch on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line. However, the schedule of completing the line by September next year remains unchanged.
     
The accident caused a loss of Rs 6 crore, he said.
     
Reddy said compensation of Rs five lakh has been sanctioned for the kin of each of the deceased in addition to the relief given under Workers Compensation Act. Grievously injured persons will get Rs two lakh each while other injured will get Rs 50,000 each.      

While raising the issue, Dasgupta demanded a judicial inquiry, arguing that the central laws were being violated in the construction of the Metro.
     
The CPI member said the construction work was being carried out not by the original contractor Gammon but "sub-contractors or sub-sub contractors".
     
The safety conditions imposed in the contract are applicable only to the main contractor and not to the sub-contractors, he said, claiming that in the earlier incident one of the firms was blacklisted but not removed.
     
Pointing out that this was the second accident in nine months, Dasgupta said the pillar had developed a crack three months back but it was not repaired.
    
"This was a grave omission ... The construction was being hurried up due to government pressure in view of Commonwealth Games," he said.
     
In the Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) member Tapan Kumar Sen raised the issue and said such accidents are happening very frequently.
     
He also alleged that the list of contract workers was not being maintained by the employers, though it is mandatory under law.