Bengaluru: Sinkhole caused by metro work? BMRCL official blames civic agency

The work for the underground section of the metro was being carried out about 20 feet below the sinkhole
Bengaluru: Sinkhole caused by metro work? BMRCL official blames civic agency
Bengaluru: Sinkhole caused by metro work? BMRCL official blames civic agency
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A large sinkhole opened up on Tuesday, off a busy Bengaluru road under which metro tunnelling working is in progress. 

A sinkhole one-and-half metre wide on the surface opened up on a lane perpendicular to the busy KG Road. Officials cordoned off an area of about three meters beyond the sink hole. BMRCL is repairing the road.

Shop owner Uday Kumar said a portion of the road caved in at around noon. “We noticed that the road was crumbling and falling inside. It was right after a huge truck entered the road. Tunnelling work for the metro is being carried out nearby. I feel that could have loosened the soil underneath. There could have been a major accident if it had been a smaller vehicle instead of a truck,” he said.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited PRO Vasanth Rao was supervising repairs. He told The News Minute the work for the underground section of the metro was being carried out about 20 feet below the sinkhole. The width of the sinkhole below the surface was unclear, he said.

He claimed that the occurrence of sinkholes was unpredictable and it need not have to necessarily be due to the metro work.

"Mostly it is because of cavities that would have worsened because of rains. Cavities are usually caused when civic works, such as laying a pipeline are not done properly. Over time the cavity will grow," he said. 

He said that trucks bringing filling material – a mixture of sand, quarry dust and water – to fill up the sinkhole maintaining a cautious distance from the sinkhole to prevent further damage.

"After the filling is done, there won't be anything to worry about. The reason for this collapse, however, will be known only after we test the underground soil," he said.

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