11 Metro officials charged in Zamrudpur mishap

In a chargesheet filed before a local court, the Delhi Police have charged 24 people, including 11 senior DMRC officials, for negligence in the 2009 Zamrudpur Metro pillar collapse incident. Eight people had died in the incident.

In a chargesheet filed before a local court, the Delhi Police have charged 24 people, including 11 senior DMRC officials, for negligence in the 2009 Zamrudpur Metro pillar collapse incident. Eight people had died in the incident.

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Those chargesheeted include the then DMRC chief engineer (design) Rajan Kataria and Subodh Kumar Gupta, the chief project officer of the site, now chief engineer (tenders). Rajiv Ahuja, Director (design) of Arch Consultancy and Pradeep Gupta of Gammon India Ltd. too figured in the chargesheet.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police, in its chargesheet, has held DMRC, Gammon India Ltd and Arch consultancy responsible for the eight deaths in the incident.

"There is sufficient evidence... that the work was planned, carried out and continued in a negligent manner and endangering the human life and thus committed offence under Sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC," it said.

On July 12, 2009, an under-construction girder on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur Metro line had collapsed, killing eight people and injuring 12 workers at the project site. Delhi Metro had attributed the accident to a "problem in the design" of the pillar and claimed that they "were trying to rectify it".

Crime Branch has also pointed out that the crack in the pillar had been noticed in advance but the officials still did not conduct a load test and continued with the construction work.