Metallic structure collapses at Mumbai Metro site

Bad luck seems to be chasing the Metro project like the devil’s hound. On Monday, a temporary steel scaffolding used for construction of the city’s first Metro line collapsed in Chakala, Andheri (East). No one was injured in the incident, which took place around 10.45 pm.

This incident occurred a day after an under-construction pillar collapsed at the Delhi Metro. Also, earlier on Monday, three cranes toppled over while carrying out the debris clearance operation at the accident site, leaving at least six people injured.

KP Maheshwari, director of Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), confirmed the development. “The scaffolding - which is a temporary structure in which a pier cap and finally a pier is constructed- collapsed,” he said.

He added, “The site belongs to our contractor Simplex Infrastructure. A team of our engineers and contractors rushed to the spot immediately. E cleared the debris within three to four hours and traffic towards Ghatkopar was restored.”

The scaffolding was 4 m high and 5 m in size, he said. According to Maheshwari, who refused to ascertain the reasons behind the mishap, a detailed inquiry has been ordered in to why the scaffolding collapsed. “Parsons Brinkerhoff and Systra, our project consultants, and British Standard Institute (BSI), the consultants for Simplex, will carry out a detailed inquiry. Our third party safety auditors, Bureau Veritas, will also carry out investigations. They are expected to submit their report in the next three days,” he said.

This is not the first time that MMOPL has witnessed an accident. On May 14, 2008, a piling rig weighing at least 60 tonne had collapsed at MMOPL’s site in Andheri (West), killing one person and injuring another.

When asked whether the heavy rains lashing the city from Monday evening were a reason for the scaffolding to have collapsed, Maheshwari declined to comment saying that he would get a clearer picture only after he got the inquiry report.

But does this mean that there would be a delay in the completion of the 11-km long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor? “We are trying to follow the deadline of July 2010 and this incident will not hamper the deadline,” said Maheshwari.