Metro pillar collapse: BMRCL union writes to CM, seeks quality check of work | Bengaluru - Hindustan Times
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Metro pillar collapse: BMRCL union writes to CM, seeks quality check of work

By, Bengaluru
Feb 09, 2023 12:31 AM IST

Suryanarayan Murthy, the vice president of the BMRCL Employees Union, in a letter dated February 6, demanded a quality check of all pillars of BMRCL by experts from the IISc and IIT, who have a qualification in metro, civil and construction activities.

A month after the Bengaluru Metro reinforcement cage collapsed, which led to the death of a woman and her toddler son, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Employees Union has written a letter to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, demanding independent quality inspection of metro works in the city.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Employees Union has written a letter to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai (ANI)
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Employees Union has written a letter to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai (ANI)

Suryanarayan Murthy, the vice president of the BMRCL Employees Union, in a letter dated February 6, demanded a quality check of all pillars of BMRCL by experts from the IISc and IIT, who have a qualification in metro, civil and construction activities.

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Alleging that the metro pillar collapse occurred due to negligence of the contractor and the managing director of BMRCL, and poor quality of civil work, Murthy said that the BMRCL management did not follow the safety precautions specified in the contract.

On January 10, the reinforcement cage of pier number 218 of the KR Puram-Airport metro line collapsed on a motorcycle, killing two people near HBR Layout in the city. Nine people, including the construction company Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC), were named in the FIR filed by the police on January 11.

The BMRCL, facing flak over the incident, had roped in IISc to investigate the reason behind the mishap. IISc found that inadequate support structure for the tall reinforcement cage was the main reason behind the collapse.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru police, which had sought the IIT-Hyderabad team to conduct a separate study, on January 25, found lapses in the supporting structures responsible for the reinforcement cage collapse.

“The present Managing Director has not visited any site work, his subordinate top officers are also involved in other activities other than BMRCL work. It is a shame to note that the MD of BMRCL had visited the accident spot at about 2 pm after four hours after the accident and death took place at about 10 am,” Murthy wrote in the letter to CM Bommai.

Murthy said that on several occasions, he filed complaints against the BMRCL management with documents, but there has been no response. He also stated that the quality of metro pillars between MG Road and Biayapanahalli and Mysore Road and Kengeri needs to be checked, and action taken against officers and contractors for the poor quality of work.

He was referring to a recent crack that appeared in the metro track, from Nayandahalli to Kengeri, near Pattanagere station. The crack in the rail was noticed by the train driver and lower-level staff, officials said.

The matter came to light when there was a change in the speed of the metro as there was a difference in the sound heard during the train journey. The matter was immediately reported to BMRCL officials.

Murthy said that in light of the many incidents of poor quality of work, and “bad administration of BMRCL”, it is necessary to check all construction work before the inauguration. If the current Managing Director and officers continue in their posts, more accidents will occur, he warned, naming the officers who should be removed at the earliest.

Prof J M Chandra Kishen of the civil engineering department at IISc, who conducted the inquiry, and submitted the report to the BMRCL, on January 21, said that lack of adequate support to the metro reinforcement cage is the primary reason for the mishap. He inspected the accident site twice and spoke to three junior engineers, an executive engineer, a chief engineer and some workers at the construction site.

Kishen further said that the mishap could have been averted if adequate safety measures were taken during the construction work. However, he ruled out any possibility of poor-quality materials being used and said the responsibility lies with everyone working at the site.

According to the IIT Hyderabad experts, lack of adequate support and improper design of the supporting structures led to the collapse of the under-construction metro pier.

“It’s the responsibility of the BMRCL. They should have asked why there was no additional support. But probably because these people have done it so many times all over Bengaluru, they were depending partly on their luck and partly on their expertise, instead of relying on what is in the engineering textbooks,” a senior police officer had said recently.

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