Mumbai: Three-member panel to probe BKC flyover mishap

The mishap occurred near MTNL junction at BKC. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Jolted by a girder collapse on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road that left 14 workers injured in the early hours of Friday, state infrastructure body MMRDA formed a 3-member panel to probe into the incident and submit a report in two weeks. While all the workers are stable, RTI activist Anil Galgali has demanded an FIR against the contractor and officials tied to the project.

Earlier in the day, guardian minister of Mumbai suburbs Aaditya Thackeray said he had asked the MMRDA to launch a probe and take strict action against the guilty. Around 4.40 am, a girder on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension flyover tilted at the MTNL junction in Bandra Kurla Complex. A team of police, fire brigade and officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) took the injured to V N Desai hospital at Santacruz East. The tilter girder weighs 65 metric tonnes and is 8.5-metre wide.

"It was an unfortunate incident and I have instructed the metropolitan commissioner to set up a committee to investigate the incident and submit a report in 15 days. I have also instructed them to take strict action on whosoever is guilty," Thackeray told mid-day. In a tweet, the minister also said that "the immediate priority was to ensure safety of workers, all 14 are safe and fine".

Also read: Goregaon-Mulund Link Road to get two new flyovers

The tilted girder weighs 65 metric tonnes and is 8.5 metres wide

The 3.8-km flyover is being constructed on SCLR to reduce traffic snarls on the east-west link, besides for decongesting the BKC, one of the city's biggest business districts. It will have 4 lanes with one arm going towards Kurla. The Rs 400-crore project is expected to be ready by March 31, 2022.

Urban development and PWD minister Eknath Shinde also visited the spot with MMRDA chief SVR Srinivas and later interacted with an injured person at the hospital. The minister said, "The accident is very unfortunate and whoever is responsible for the accident will be severely punished. At first glance, it may have been caused by an error between the girder bearing and the nut bolt." He said 13 workers with minor injuries have been discharged from the hospital. "So only one worker is undergoing treatment under the supervision of a doctor. I visited VN Desai hospital and interacted with him. The cost of the treatment of the injured workers will be borne by MMRDA."

All the workers are in the age group of 22 to 49, said officials. Srinivas said, a three-member panel consisting of a senior MMRDA official, an expert each from VJTI and IIT-Bombay will investigate the incident and provide a report in two weeks. He said, "It will not be right to say that the bridge collapsed because what actually happened is that the girder portion between the two pillars has tilted and fallen on one side." he said. When asked who the contractor is, he said the work is being done by J Kumar.

Activist demands FIR

RTI activist Anil Galgali has urged the Mumbai police to register FIR against MMRDA officials and the contractor for lapses in following safety norms. In a letter to the MMRDA chief and Mumbai police, Galgali said, "Workers were injured in the accident this morning. Fortunately, no casualties were reported but the negligence of the contractor and the officers is unforgivable." He wrote that the incident suggests that "care has not been taken at work".

4.40 am
Time when the mishap occurred

Rs 400 cr
Estimated cost of the flyover