Metro Mudslide: State govt hand in glove with builder, says Varsha Gaikwad

Mumbai: The Mumbai Congress President, Varsha Gaikwad, blamed the state government, the civic body and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for violating rules and permitting Chandak Builder to construct a project close to Magathane metro rail station and putting the structure in danger.

On Friday, she visited the spot and saw the adjoining construction site where a deep excavation has been done to build a real estate project.

Gaikwad: Existing rules of not permitting construction work within six metres

After her visit, Gaikwad said, “The existing rules of not permitting construction work within six metres of a metro station were flouted.” 

On Tuesday, the temporary retaining wall collapsed at the construction site, damaging the chamber wall and part of the pavement and causing the service road to cave in. This led to storm water flowing into the builder’s excavation area, posing a potential risk of further collapse to the chamber and the foundation of the stairs and escalator. Following this the service road as well as the pavement were kept out of bounds. Additionally, one of the entry gates has been shut down until further notice. The metro operations, however, remain unaffected.

During the week, a police complaint was filed by MMRDA, following which a contractor as well as the site engineer were arrested and later released on bail.