After Mulund death, MMRDA axes Line 4 consultant, cites 150 plus lapse notices

On Saturday, a 2.5 tonne parapet segment from the under-construction Metro Line 4 fell onto LBS Road in Mulund, crushing an autorickshaw and a car. One person died while two critically injured victims continue to undergo treatment at Upasani Hospital.

A senior MMRDA official said the authority had repeatedly warned the consultant about lax supervision. “The interlocking of the parapet segment was cut. When the general consultant was asked why, they first said there was no supervisor on the spot. Later they changed their stand and said a supervisor was present but the worker did not listen to him. The parapet segment had been fitted barely a week earlier and had not fully cured. The cutting of the interlocks happened the night before the incident. That meant the general consultant and MMRDA engineers had nearly 11 hours to rectify it, but they did not,” the official said.

Calling the termination a signal of “zero tolerance” towards safety violations, the official added, “As we are building a zero-tolerance policy towards work site accidents, it was time to take a strict step so such incidents are not repeated. The message must be loud and clear.”

The same consortium is also the general consultant for Metro Line 10 from Gaimukh in Thane to Mira Road and Metro Line 12 from Kalyan to Taloja.

The main contractor for Line 4, a joint venture of Reliance Infrastructure and Astaldi SPA, had subcontracted a portion of the work to Milan Road Buildtech LLP. The parent contractor has been fined Rs 5 crore on a preliminary basis. An internal investigative report into the incident is being prepared.

In addition to the termination and fines, three engineers have been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against another official, marking a departure from the authority’s earlier practice of limiting action to financial penalties in the aftermath of accidents.

Meanwhile, the MMRDA has launched a special intensive inspection of the 32.3 km Line 4 corridor. Officials said that by Tuesday, 20 km of the stretch had been inspected and no major safety concerns had been detected so far.

After completing the Line 4 audit, the authority plans similar inspections across other under construction metro corridors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Lines 2B, 4A, 5, 6 and 9.

To further tighten oversight, the MMRDA will set up a dedicated vigilance cell to conduct surprise inspections at construction sites and ensure compliance with safety standard operating procedures. The cell will be led by Chief Engineer Yatin Sakhalkhar.