Road next to Magathane metro station caves in

An official from the BMC said that it appeared like the rain water had seeped into the soil, which caused the caving in. Sources in the BMC said that ideally the corners should have been strengthened, using the necessary engineering methods

MUMBAI: Part of the Magathane metro station had a close shave when the road next to it caved in, allegedly owing to an under-construction private project. On Tuesday, the Maha Mumbai Metropolitan Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL) shut the entry and exit points on the north end of the station, which is next to the portion that caved in.

The road has caved in between the under-construction building project and Magathane Metro Station in Mumbai. (Satish Bate/ HT Photo)

According to sources, the incident happened late on Sunday when it was raining heavily. This portion of land that caved in was close to the footpath on which the escalator of the Magathane metro station has a landing. The residents claim that the metro station is barely a few feet away from the mudslide.

“There’s a whole lot of muck on the road, and a portion of it has been barricaded. The government authorities should take up this issue seriously with the developer of this under-construction site,” said Advocate Ravi Punjabi, a resident of Kandivali. The residents claimed that several dumper trucks were seen filling up the excavation site.

Explaining the incident, an official from the BMC said that it appeared like the rain water had seeped into the soil, which caused the caving in. Sources in the BMC said that ideally the corners should have been strengthened, using the necessary engineering methods.

The civic body will consider legal action once the site is rectified so that similar incidents do not recur. “Our first priority is to ensure that the contractors who have undertaken this work strengthen the collapsed portion immediately,” said a BMC official from R/Central Ward. “We also met the workers at the site and their consultants and architects and questioned them on the plausible reason for the mudslide. We will take necessary action once this is taken care of.”

The metro authorities, on their part, said that they had temporarily shut the entrance to the north side of the station, which is close to the mudslide area. They blame the extensive excavation work done by the private developer there. “We are working together with the BMC to ensure everyone’s safety by putting safety measures in place and fixing the issue as soon as possible,” said an official from MMMOCL.

BMC officials, meanwhile, stated that they would allow the site to reopen only when they were satisfied with the restoration work. Sources said that an FIR had also been filed at Kasturba Marg Police station against unknown persons. The Magathane metro station is part of the Gundavali-Dahisar Metro 7 line—the total footfall here, along with Metro 2A, recently crossed three crore passengers.