On Thursday, dust and bricks from the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3 building work flew towards several automobiles and the Mantralaya complex, breaking windows and causing panic. The incident happened at a time when controlled blasting was taking place there. There was no alleged harm in the incident.
While the site’s construction has been finished, work is still being done to construct the subway entryway and exit for the intended underground station. Controlled blasting was being done by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) for this purpose.
The work has been put on hold, according to an MMRCL representative, and will resume once corrective measures have been implemented. “Excavation work for the Mantralaya subway’s entrance and exit is ongoing. The hard rock beneath was being broken with controlled blasting. Work on blasting has been going on for a while now without any issues. However, today’s operation resulted in some Mantralaya windows being broken, according to an MMRCL spokeswoman.
“We guarantee that MMRCL does its duties with utmost devotion. Until then, we will review the job. The official continued, “We are pausing controlled blasting activity at the tube near Mantralaya, and work will restart after causes are investigated and corrective action is taken.
Colaba in south Mumbai will be connected to SEEPZ by the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3 through the Bandra Kurla Complex, along with the airport.
The MMRCL halts operations and starts an assessment of the construction work after controlled blasting activities at Aqua Line 3 send stones and dust flying. Corrective action will then be taken.
“Blasting operations have been running smoothly for a while. However, during today’s execution, the Mantralaya’s windows sustained some damage, according to a statement from MMRC.
Meanwhile, the L&T construction company has been the subject of a complaint from the Marine Drive police station. “We have registered a case of negligence against the company,” said senior inspector Nilesh Bagul of the Marine Drive police station. “We will conduct an extensive investigation and arrest the person(s) accountable for the incident.”
The aforementioned project involves coming up with a subway line that will link the Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan, and new administrative buildings to the forthcoming Metro-3 station under construction close to Nariman Point. The creation of the underground had been delayed due to security concerns by the state home department, but it eventually started in December 2022 after getting approval from that department.
Around 2 p.m., Mungantiwar was not in his first-floor office when the event occurred. “The stones travelled far from the construction site. Fortunately, nobody was hurt”, according to a witness who was on the scene.
“The police had approved the work with restrictions. The safety net had not been placed correctly by the interested parties”, according to the Marine Drive officer. Calls to L&T authorities went unanswered.
An expert who previously worked on such projects said: “Rocks that are hard and abrasive in nature are difficult to break mechanically. Also, mechanical devices like jet hammers take too much time and make annoying noise”.
MMRCL has stopped work at the site pending review.
“We are stopping controlled blasting work at the subway near Mantralaya, and work will be restarted only after causes are studied and corrective action is taken,” said its spokesperson.