Namma Metro project claims 38 lives till date, ₹3.15 crore paid as compensation, reveals Chief Minister
The Hindu
Bengaluru
The State government has revealed that the Namma Metro project has claimed the lives of 38 people till date.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru Development, which includes BMRCL executing the project, in a written response to JD(S) MLC T.A. Sharavana in the ongoing session of the State Legislature, stated that till date, accidents involving the metro rail project affected a total of 50 people, of which 38 died.
The foundation for the metro rail project was laid in 2006 and since then, BMRCL has been executing the project in a phased manner.
In Phase I, 42.3 km of metro lines were made operational. Under Phase II, a total of 72 km lines are being implemented, of which 14 km have opened for public. BMRCL is executing 55 km of metro network from Central Silk Board to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) under Phase II A & B.
Among those who lost their lives, the majority are construction workers. On January 10, a woman and her two-year-old son died after an under-construction metro reinforcement cage fell on a moving bike. Luckily, the husband of the woman and their daughter had a narrow escape.
The incident happened near HBR Layout on the Outer Ring Road. Alleged serious lapses, on part of the contractor executing the work and the engineers of the BMRCL, forced the agency to stall the construction works of pillars designed for above 12 metres.
In his response to questions raised by another MLC Prakash K. Rathod, the CM has said that the Govindapura police are investigating the case, following a complaint from the husband of the deceased. An expert from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has filed a detailed report on the incident and further safety measures will be taken based on the report.