Cranes for Metro 4 work help in rescue operations in Ghatkopar

According to MMRDA sources, there was supposed to be a late-night block for Metro-4, where they were launching metro rail girders between Wadala and Amar Mahal junction, which needed the two cranes parked at their respective sites

Mumbai: Two cranes parked by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on May 13 at Wadala and Kurla for Metro 4 work came in handy when a massive billboard in Ghatkopar collapsed on Monday, killing 14 and injuring 75. The availability of the two 500-tonne cranes helped speed up the rescue operation.

TDuring the rescue operation, the two 500-tonne cranes from the MMRDA were able to lift the collapsed hoarding by 5-feet in Ghatkopar. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

When the MMRDA officials saw the video of the hoarding collapse and realised the gravity of the situation, they immediately coordinated with the control room and helped in the rescue mission.

“Small cranes were not good enough for the job, and so we immediately mobilised these two 500-tonne cranes along with 25 of our skilled workers and engineers who specialise in handling such heavy-duty works,” said an MMRDA official.

While the first crane from Wadala reached within an hour, the other crane took two hours to traverse through the traffic jams from Kurla, for which they sought the help of the police to clear the traffic.

By this time, the MMRDA Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee had already directed their staff to rush to aid in the rescue mission. The MMRDA engineers were at the site at Amar Mahal for an internal inspection of the ongoing works of Metro 4 being constructed on the Wadala-Kasarvadavali corridor.

According to MMRDA sources, there was supposed to be a late-night block for Metro-4, where they were launching metro rail girders between Wadala and Amar Mahal junction, which needed the two cranes parked at their respective sites.

“These cranes are usually used to carry girders. However, in this case, the structure holding the hoarding was not symmetric. So, lifting them was a complicated task. Moreover, these cranes require solid sturdy ground, but we were not sure about it at the site; there could have been a possibility that the impact of the fall would have affected the ground as well. We knew we were running against time,” said an MMRDA official.

After reaching the site, they asked the petrol pump owners about the location of the underground tanks and other utilities below. After getting clearance from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other authorities, they positioned the cranes at a certain distance, hooked the metal structure, and started lifting the collapsed structure in sync.

The engineers said that the crane operators had to be careful as they did not want the structure to break while lifting it, which could cause more damage as the centre of gravity was not known.

Initially, they lifted a foot or two, after which they kept trusses (beams) and mechanised jacks to slowly lift it further. They were able to lift it by 5 feet.

Apart from the two cranes and 25 skilled men, the MMRDA also sent essential machinery and tools, including 4 Hydra cranes and hydraulic cutters to facilitate operations at the site. Through the night these equipment and tools were used to rescue the injured and remove the dead.