Mumbai Metro Line 4: Staging gives way in fatal collapse at Wadala site, two killed

MMRDA rules stipulate that safety-lapse incidents should attract a fine equivalent to 1 per cent of the contract cost on both the contractor and consultant.

Two construction workers died at a Metro Line 4 construction site in Wadala last Saturday after the iron staging they were using to descend from the first floor collapsed. Five days after the incident, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is executing the project, had not disclosed the incident.

The deaths occurred on Metro Line 4, the 32.32-km elevated corridor connecting Wadala with Kasarvadavali in Thane. Also known as the Green Line, the corridor has 30 stations and is planned to connect several parts of Mumbai and Thane with the Eastern Express Highway, Central Railway, Monorail and other Metro corridors.

The incident is significant as the same Metro line witnessed a fatal slab collapse in Mulund in February, in which one person was killed and three were injured. The same contractor, subcontractor and consultant involved in the Mulund stretch were also involved in construction work at Bhakti Park station, where the two workers died.

The Wadala TT police registered an FIR on Tuesday, three days after the incident, against Tarikh Ul Islam, the site supervisor. Police booked him under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death by negligence.

The deceased were identified as Nahij, 33, and Sakim, 37. Both worked as centering workers at the ongoing Metro construction work near the Monorail station at Bhakti Park.

According to the police complaint filed by their colleague Safiqul Mukhtar Hussain, 31, Nahij, Sakim and five other workers reported for duty at around 8.30 am and were scheduled to work until 7 pm. Steel construction and carpentry work was being carried out on the first floor.

As the workers prepared to leave around 7 pm, it started raining and they began gathering their material. Some workers had already exited using a ladder, while Hussain was collecting his safety belt and helmet.

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“At around 7:30pm, Nahij and Sakim were going down from the iron staging built for construction. As they were coming down, the staging broke and they both fell and were seriously injured,” Hussain said in his complaint.

The injured workers were taken to Sion Hospital in private vehicles. Nahij was declared brought dead, while Sakim was admitted to the ICU and died during treatment later that night.

Hussain attributed the deaths to the alleged negligence and recklessness of the subcontractor’s supervisor. He said both deceased workers were from Tetia village in West Bengal and had been working at the site for the past two to three months.

The workers were staying at a site near the construction area, he said. Their bodies were subsequently sent to their relatives in West Bengal.

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The incident did not figure in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Management Department’s reporting as the fire brigade was not called to the site.

The MMRDA did not issue any public statement on the deaths. When contacted, officials from the authority said information on the incident, action taken against the contractors and compensation to the families would be provided on Friday, almost a week after the incident.

The February incident on the same corridor involved the collapse of a concrete parapet slab at the Mulund construction site. The slab fell onto the road below, killing one person and injuring three others. The victims were travelling in a rickshaw and a car when the slab fell from the Metro viaduct.

Both the Mulund section and the Bhakti Park section where the latest incident occurred were being constructed by Reliance Infrastructure and Astaldi SPA Joint Venture (RAJV). RAJV had subcontracted the work at both sites to Milan Road Buildtech. The Metro line’s consultant is a joint venture of DB Engineering & Consulting, Hill International and Louis Berger.

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According to the Milan Group’s website, its contract package CA-08, covering the Wadala to Amar Mahal Junction stretch, was subcontracted at a revised cost of Rs 996.96 crore. The original cost of the work was Rs 540 crore.

MMRDA rules stipulate that safety-lapse incidents should attract a fine equivalent to 1 per cent of the contract cost on both the contractor and consultant.

Following the February Mulund incident, RAJV was fined Rs 5 crore, while the consultant was fined Rs 1 crore. MMRDA had initially announced that the consultant would be terminated but later decided to retain it.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Sabah Virani is a journalist with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, covering infrastructure, housing and urban issues. In the realms of technical fields, she brings out human stories and the pace of change ongoing in the city. Expertise Specialised Role: Tracking infrastructure in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Sabah’s reporting tracks progress on various projects. From bridges to metros, she mixes technical details with resourceful information. Core coverage areas: Sabah keeps a close eye on the activities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and its projects across the MMR, including the metros, road projects, bridges, the bullet train, pod taxi, its role as a planning authority, and more. She also watches for developments from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and the GoM’s Urban Development department. Housing: Sabah also tracks developments in housing, particularly the workings of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). She also keeps a keen watch on the big redevelopment projects ongoing in Mumbai, including the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, Motilal Nagar, Kamathipura, BDD Chawl redevelopment, among others. Occasionally, she reports on the environment, biodiversity, waste, arts and culture. Experience: Prior to working for the Indian Express, Sabah covered the municipality, civic issues and miscellaneous for Hindustan Times. Before that, she covered all things Mumbai for the online publication Citizen Matters. She has also worked as an editorial assistant at FiftyTwo.in.   ... Read More

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