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Probe begins in Bengaluru metro collapse as 2 die, notices sent to contractors
The metro pillar of an under-construction Namma Metro line collapsed and fell on a bike, killing two in a family of four in Bengaluru.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) on Tuesday announced a compensation of ₹20 lakh for the family of a woman and her two-and-a-half-year-old child who were killed on Tuesday after an under-construction metro pillar collapsed near Nagawara area on the Outer Ring Road in the city. Speaking to news agency ANI, Bangalore Metro Managing Director Anjum Parvez called the incident “unfortunate” and assured all help possible.
Notices are being issued to the contractor and concerned engineers. IISC (Indian Institute of Science) will be requested to probe and provide a report. An internal technical team will investigate the matter, Bengaluru metro officials stated.
The incident took place on Tuesday around 10:45 am. The metro pillar collapsed and fell on a bike on the road on which a family of four – the woman, her husband and two children – were travelling. The husband and daughter were hospitalised with injuries but the woman and her 2-year-old son succumbed to their injuries shortly after.
A video showing the site of the accident after the collapse was doing rounds on social media platforms.
"A pillar fell on the road and a woman and her child were badly injured and died. It is very unfortunate. Will provide ₹20 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the victims," the MD said, adding that the mishap will be probed in detail to prevent such incidents from occurring in future. "We follow the highest quality standards possible when it comes to construction. Detailed probe will be done and will see if it was a technical error or manmade. Steps will be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again," Parvez stressed.
The pillar that collapsed was part of the Namma Metro's operations to the city's Kempegowda International Airport, which is set to be opened to the public by the end of the year. The iron bars of the pillar had been fixed and were yet to be concretised.
In a statement earlier, Bheemashankar S Guled, DCP East, said that forensic experts are at the incident site and are investigating.
The incident comes amidst severe allegations of corruption against the ruling BJP government in Karnataka. The Basavaraj Bommai-led government has been accused of hiring contractors who allegedly use low-quality raw materials to cut costs.
