Issues continue to plague Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3

The cracked glass panel at the Santacruz Metro station Line 3. PICS/MADHULIKA RAM KAVATTUR

The Mumbai Metro Aqua Line (Line 3), which commenced partial operations on May 10 this year, is already facing issues related to its infrastructure. Issues were first seen on May 26, merely 16 days after the launch, with the Acharya Atre Chowk station being flooded. This time, the issue is regarding glass panels at the Santacruz station, which is next to the Western Express Highway. The entry/exit point ‘A2', which leads to Hanuman Tekdi and Maratha Colony outside, has a broken glass panel for the last four days.

A police officer at the Metro station told mid-day, "The glass has been broken for four days, and we are assuming it was because of a rock that hit the glass as a car zoomed by on the road. The hole in the glass is small, but it has sent cracks throughout the panel."

The officer added that the damage could also have been caused due to fluctuating temperatures in the city. "It gets too hot in the city with temperatures going over 30°C, and suddenly mercury levels drop as it starts to rain. I think the glass could not bear such fluctuations, and a shockwave got sent through the panel the moment a rock or some hard object struck it," he said.

On July 25, local residents also caught a boy who lives near the Metro station playing atop the sloped A2 entry/exit way, sliding down the side. They informed a police officer present at the location, who gave the boy a stern talk. mid-day contacted Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) to comment on the development, but didn't receive a response till the time of going to press.