5 arrested, ₹5 crore fine imposed on contractor after Mumbai metro pillar collapse kills 1

MUmbai: A 46-year-old adult male was killed and iii others were injured after a portion of a breastwork of an under-construction underground run along collapsed and fell on vehicles passing underneath in Mumbai’s Mulund area on Saturday, officials said, adding that five people have been arrested over the incident.Following the incident, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry even as the Opposition slammed the Mahayuti government over the incident and questioned whether the lives of residents have become “so cheap”.The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), meanwhile, has imposed a fine of ₹5 crore on the contractor Reliance Infrastructure-Astaldi (RAJV) and its sub-contractor Milan Road Buildtech LLP. A general consultant linked to the project –– a consortium of DB Engineering & Consulting, Hill International Inc and Louis Berger Consulting Private Limited (DB Hill LBG) –– was fined ₹1 crore, it said in a statementThe incident took place on Saturday afternoon on LBS Road in Mulund when a parapet segment of the under-construction elevated Metro 4 corridor collapsed and fell on an autorickshaw and a car, officials said.Ramdhani Yadav (46), who sat on the back of the autorickshaw, was killed in the incident. The autorickshaw driver Rajkumar Yadav (45) sustained critical injuries and was admitted in the intensive care unit at a Mulund hospital. Another occupant in the autorickhsaw, Mahendra Pratap Yadav (52), and the driver of the car, Deepa Ruhiya (40), sustained injuries, though their condition is stable, authorities said.Following the incident, CM Fadnavis announced a through probe into the matter and said that the state government will provide financial assistance of ₹5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. “The accident in Mulund is very unfortunate. Our prayers are with the kin of the deceased and those injured. The government and MMRDA will take care of medical expenses of the injured,” he said.A safety audit will be conducted immediately at all such construction sites as a preventive measure, he added.The MMRDA also constituted a high-level inquiry committee to probe the cause behind the parapet segment to fall.“The committee will examine construction methodology, quality control systems, supervision mechanisms, contractors’ compliance with that, and third-party oversight processes. A detailed report has been sought on priority. As an immediate precautionary measure, construction activity at the concerned stretch has been temporarily halted based on preliminary findings,” a senior MMRDA official said on anonymity.Five people, including four Milan Road Buildtech executives –– project director Harish Chauhan, project manager Kuldeep Sapkal, deputy project manager Saurab Singh and supervisor Prashant Bhoir, and Hill International Inc project manager Avdhoot Inamdar has been arrested, police said.“The specific construction activity at the concerned location was being undertaken by the sub-contractor, Milan Road Buildtech LLP, in accordance with established contractual arrangements,” a Reliance Infrastructure spokesperson said. “We are fully cooperating with MMRDA and the concerned authorities in their assessment of the incident and are providing all necessary support.”Satyajeet Salve, executive engineer at MMRDA, has also been suspended, officials said.Local BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha claimed that SOPs were not being followed at the site which led to the mishap and that the contractor was earlier red-flagged for negligence. Last month, Kotecha said, he conducted a joint inspection of the two-kilometer stretch of LBS Road with MMRDA and municipal corporation officials.“We identified serious negligence at more than 55 locations, documented them with GIS-tagged over 100 photographs, and formally requested action against the contractor,” the Mulund MLA said, adding that he wrote to the MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee recommending the blacklisting and suspension of the contractor.MMRDA officials did not respond to Kotecha’s claims.(With inputs from Osama Rawal, PTI)