Stray stones from subway excavation work smash into Mantralaya windows

The security personnel at Mantralaya subsequently informed the Marine Lines police station about the incident. Sources said the police would file a case against the contractor Larsen & Toubro and the officers working there

MumbaiIn an unexpected incident on Thursday afternoon, stones and ballast flew into the air during the excavation for the Mantralaya subway, which is part of the Metro-3 project. According to sources, the stones hit forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar’s office on the first floor and damaged three vehicles parked in the building premises.

According to sources, the stones hit forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar’s office on the first floor and damaged three vehicles parked in the building premises.. (Photo by ) (Anshuman Poyrekar/ HT PHOTO)

“Initially we thought that stones were being pelted, and hurried to safety,” said a government official. “Later, we learned that these were rocks and stones that accidentally flew out from the blasting process for the Mantralaya subway project.” Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.

The security personnel at Mantralaya subsequently informed the Marine Lines police station about the incident. Sources said the police would file a case against the contractor Larsen & Toubro and the officers working there.

The authorities of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) said that the excavation work for the entry and exit of the Mantralaya subway was under way, for which controlled blasting of the hard rock had been taken up. “The blasting work has been on for quite some time without any problems,” said a spokesperson for MMRC. “However, today some windows of Mantralaya got damaged during the operation.”

The spokesperson said that MMRC always conducted its work with all due diligence. “However, we are stopping work on the subway, and it will resume only after the causes of today’s accident are studied and corrective action is taken,” he said.

MMRC is building a subway that will connect Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan and the new administrative building to the upcoming underground Metro station. Work on the 380-metre subway has already begun. The subway is expected to be used by state government employees transiting between Mantralaya and Vidhan Bhavan.

An official from the construction site said, “These are very controlled blasts with a very low impact. Around 180 grams of blasting material is used per hole. The vibrations were less than half the approved limits so there is no question of cracks. The Mantralaya window was damaged because a stone hit the window during the blast.”

The official said that utmost care was taken during the process. “Blasting mats are placed on the ground to avoid any untoward incident but despite the precautions, somehow this happened,” he said. “A detailed report will be filed on this.”