A woman and her two-year-old son were killed in Bengaluru after a reinforcement pillar along with the scaffolding collapsed at a metro construction site on the Outer Ring Road near Nagavara. Tejaswini, her husband Lohit Sulakhe, and their twins — Vihan and Vismitha — were travelling on a two-wheeler when the beam made of metal rods fell on them on the morning of Tuesday, January 10. The mishap occurred on ORR between Kalyan Nagar and HRBR Layout, when a reinforcement beam made of metal rods used for support while constructing the metro pier stooped and fell over onto the road.
According to their social media, the couple moved to Bengaluru in 2020. Bheemashankar S Guled, DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) of Bengaluru East division told TNM that Tejaswini and Vihan were shifted to a hospital where they succumbed to injuries. Lohit and the other child also sustained injuries, however, they were later discharged. The bodies have been shifted to the Ambedkar hospital in Kadugondanahalli near Tannery road.
A reinforcement pillar is made of metal rods and has to be supported properly on all sides till the concrete is filled. In this case, due to its weight and lack of support, the pillar has bent, dragging the scaffolding with it.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) MD, Anjum Parwez announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakhs to the family of the two deceased. He told the media that the Indian Institute of Science has been asked to study the structure and give a report to BMRCL. When asked why BMRCL is not conducting a probe of its own, the MD said, “We don't want allegations of being biased by doing an internal investigation.”
The MD also said that the ropes were tied from all four sides to ensure that the pillar is not moved. But in this case, one of the wires holding the pillar in place broke, the MD added.
The structure was tied from all four sides and one of them broke. “This is the first time such an incident has happened during a BMRCL construction. We will reassess what method can be used to hold tall pillars over 18 feet like this one. We will also look at what led to the incident, whether it was a manual error or a technical issue,” Anjum Parwez said.
BMRCL will not stop the metro work and an internal team will look at the site, determine what extra safety measures can be taken to continue with the work, the BMRCL MD said.
On receiving complaints about unusually heavy traffic congestion near Kalyan Nagar on ORR, the Bengaluru Traffic Police said that the traffic was blocked at various junctions because of the collapse of a pillar at the metro construction site.
This is a developing story.