Even as the MMRDA faces serious criticism following Tuesday’s accident at a Metro station construction site, the authority feels that Reliance Infrastructure (Rinfra) has a major share in the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) consortium, but only the MMRDA is facing flak for the accident. Additionally, the MMRDA officials do not seem to have a concrete answer as to why the safety of workers is being overlooked at infrastructure construction sites in Mumbai.
“In MMOPL, RInfra has a majority stake while MMRDA constitutes just one-fourth of the consortium, still it is the MMRDA that is facing flak from everyone. Primarily, if you see, it is RInfra who is responsible,” said an MMRDA official.
Highlighting this, the MMRDA claims that it has asked RInfra to light up roads below Metro stations several times, but it has been observed that the station areas are still in the dark, making it a hotbed for road accidents to occur.
Meanwhile, a visit to various construction sites — Metro rail between Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar and Eastern Freeway — revealed how the construction workers are risking their lives and safety rules are flouted.
When P.R.K. Murthy, chief of transport and communication and S.V.R. Srinivas, additional metropolitan commissioner, were asked as to why labourers worked without safety harness or sleep at the sites, which can be dangerous, they said, “We cannot reply to you on this, it will not be appropriate, you may ask the metropolitan commissioner.”
Mr Murthy, however added, “I will ask my engineers to tighten the screws when it comes to safety measures.” In light of the accident, the MMRDA has now called an emergency board meeting of MMOPL officials on Monday.
On Tuesday, an under-construction staircase of the Airport Road Station at Marol collapsed, leaving one dead and 16 others injured.