Safety checks ordered at all upcoming Metro sites in Mumbai region

Mumbai: In the aftermath of the fatal Mulund Metro accident, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has initiated a region-wide structural safety drive, ordering inspections of all under-construction Metro corridors across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).Officials said the move follows the Feb 14 tragedy on Metro Line 4, where a 2.5-tonne parapet segment from an elevated viaduct fell on an autorickshaw and a car in Mulund, killing one person and injuring three others.
Sources said the inspections are not limited to Metro Line 4, but extend to all ongoing elevated Metro corridors in MMR, including lines currently in advanced stages of viaduct construction.Teams comprising structural experts and senior engineers have been deployed to verify installation quality, reinforcement placement, alignment stability, and curing of precast elements.As part of the review, MMRDA has already inspected nearly 20 km of the 36-km Wadala–Kasarvadavali–Gaimukh Metro Line 4 corridor.A senior official said, "Nothing untoward was found on the stretch whose inspection has been completed."The remaining stretch, along with other ongoing metro lines, will now undergo detailed structural audits covering parapets, segment launching systems, bearings, and temporary supports used during construction.The lines that are under construction are Phase 2 of Metro 9 (Kashigaon to Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium), Metro Line 2B (D N Nagar to Diamond Garden), Line 7A (Gundavali to Domestic Terminal), Line 6 (Lokhandwala to Vikhroli), Line 5 (Thane–Bhiwandi–Kalyan), and Line 12 (Kalyan–Amandoot).The official said the lines that are already commissioned — Line 2A and 7 (Gundavali–Dahisar–Andheri West) — are not part of this exercise as their assets and systems are regularly monitored by the operational and maintenance team every three months.Officials said over 150 showcause notices had earlier been issued to the project's general consultant, DB Hill-LBG group, over safety, compliance, and other lapses observed during periodic monitoring since 2023. MMRDA has paid a total of Rs 380 crore to the general consultant.Following the Mulund incident, the contractor linked to the consultant has been terminated, while departmental action has been initiated against concerned officials and engineers. Mulund police probing the fatal concrete parapet collapse case are looking for welder Ram Ashish and civil consultant Suresh Sai. Police Ashish allegedly cut the two interlocks between parapets and left it loose, causing it to fall.