24x7 camera surveillance to check impact of Metro-3 work on iconic buildings in south Mumbai

These cameras will be installed in December — a month before tunneling — for six months, said an official.

Taking note of damage to two heritage buildings allegedly owing to construction work for the underground Metro-3 project, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) on Friday said it will install cameras to remotely monitor weak and iconic structures 24x7.

These cameras will be installed in December — a month before tunneling — for six months, said an official.

The move comes after JN Petit Institute at Fort and Siddharth College in Churchgate complained of cracks because of piling work for the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro corridor.

At a press meeting on Friday, officials showcased equipment that were and are being used to ensure safety of all buildings for tunneling.

They clarified that the cracks on the buildings were not caused by piling work for the Metro-3 project. SK Gupta, director of projects of MMRC, said structures will be monitored once excavation work begins in January. “We will install high-point cameras to give us a larger perspective in certain areas. It will be constantly monitored by contractors from their offices.”

“We will stop work at the alarm stage but residents don’t need to panic. We will take immediate remedial measures,” Gupta said.

He further said, “We have kept checks and balances at multiple levels. We want to ensure citizens that we are following protocol and there is no risk to any structure.”

The Metro-3 is a 33.5-km-long underground corridor on the Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ route, with 27 stations. It is expected to reduce the load on the suburban train network by serving 16 lakh commuters everyday. The corridor is expected to be operational by 2021.