Under fire after two people were crushed to death by a pillar under construction , the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited has defended their construction quality. “There is no question of inferior work done by the BMRCL. As you all know, we use the best steel in our projects," said BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez.
Lohit Kumar Sulakhe, his wife Tejaswini and their twins- Vihaan and Vismita were on a two wheeler, on their way to work when the reinforcement pillar along with the scaffolding collapsed on them in Nagavara in Outer Ring Road.
The BMRCL MD also 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.
Meanwhile, based on a complaint filed by Lohith, an FIR has been filed by the Govindapura police station in Bengaluru East. However, a new FIR is likely to be filed including the name of Nagarjuna Construction Company which had undertaken the works.