04 November,2010 07:57 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Contractor was involved in two mishaps at Metro sites, was made to pay up penalty last year
IS the MMRDA really serious about your safety?
A day after a portion of an under-construction Lalbaug flyover collapsed in Parel on Tuesday, the agency insisted that public safety matters to them.
Heavy traffic afflicted the road under the Lalbaug Bharatmata flyover after a part of the flyover, which is under construction, collapsed yesterday
However, it has now come to light that Simplex Infrastructure, the company that has been awarded the contract to construct the flyover, has been involved in two other mishaps over the last couple of years.
In May 2008, one person was killed and an auto-rickshaw driver was injured allegedly after a crane at the Metro site lost balance, causing the mishap.
The contractor at the site was the same as the one at the Lalbaug flyover Simplex Infrastructure.
In 2009, Simplex Infrastructure had been penalised for an accident at a Metro construction site in Andheri (east). A metal scaffolding collapsed, injuring two workers.
Probe into mishap
The MMRDA has now decided to set up a three-member committee to probe the matter.
On Tuesday evening, three people were injured and four vehicles damaged when a part of the flyover collapsed near Bharatmata Junction in Parel.
MMRDA is constructing the 2.4-km flyover that will connect Parel and Byculla. The flyover, expected to be completed by December, will be longer than the JJ flyover.
Authorities speak
"The matter is being investigated and the cause of the mishap will come up after we complete the investigation," said Chief of Transport & Communication PRK Murthy.
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"The trolley that was laying the segment lost control, causing the accident."
Murthy said that if it were established that the mishap took place due to negligence on the contractor's part, strict action would be taken against the company.
"While undertaking any project, MMRDA takes the safety of people into consideration," said MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar.
"So, from now on, we will pay surprise visits at various sites to check whether or not contractors follow safety measures."
"Simplex Infrastructure will pay compensation to the owners of the cars which were damaged in the accident," said Kawatkar.
2.4-km
Length of the flyover that will connect Byculla and Parel
Closed for Traffic
South-bound traffic was diverted yesterday on the stretch on Dr Ambedkar Road where the mishap took place.
"We are clearing the portion," said Murthy, adding that the road was to be thrown open by last [Wednesday] evening.
The Other Side
An official from Simplex Infrastructure, said the company was carrying out an independent probe to find out what caused the accident. "It is too early to comment on what led to the fall," the official said.
The official refused to comment on the two previous mishaps on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro rail corridor. "I cannot make any statement in this matter," the official said.
