Bengaluru metro accident victims’ family demands cancellation of contract, licence of firm

Bengaluru

A day after the collapse of a structure at a construction site of the Namma Metro claimed two lives — that of a mother and her toddler — the family members of the deceased on January 11, Wednesday, demanded the cancellation of the contract for the stretch where the accident occurred and the licence of the firm.

Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) Ltd has the contract for the Airport Line (Phase 2B Blue Line) between K.R. Puram and Kempegowda International Airport, on which the accident occurred.

“The contract with the company should immediately be cancelled. The contractor has evidently not taken safety precautions, and the quality of construction is also low. How can he erect such tall pillars on a road with so much traffic without adequate safety protocols? If the iron rods have bent, what is the quality of the iron? We demand that the contract should immediately be cancelled,” said an angry Madan Kumar, father of the deceased Tejaswini.

Lohith, Tejaswini’s husband, who was riding the bike, when the accident occurred, appealed to the government to take adequate safety measures at Namma Metro construction sites and ensure that nobody suffered what he did. “I have lost everything. I don’t know why I am alive to suffer this,” he lamented.

While other family members said that they would collect the mortal remains of the mother-son duo only after the government cancelled the contract, officials managed to convince family members, assuring them of suitable action against those responsible for the accident, and the bodies were taken to Davanagere for last rites on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists, Mr. Madan Kumar said the family had lost a lot with these deaths and no amount of monetary compensation could bring back his daughter and grandson. “Talking of monetary compensation is useless,” he said.