Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday launched a sharp attack on the ruling Mahayuti government over a recent metro construction incident in Mira Road, where construction material reportedly fell onto the road.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Thackeray questioned the government over the incident and wrote, “Has the value of Mumbai residents' lives become zero under this government's rule?”
School van narrowly escapes mishap
Referring to the incident, which reportedly occurred during construction work for Metro Line 9 near Thunga Hospital in Mira Road, Thackeray said a metro slab and construction material collapsed, narrowly missing a school van passing underneath.
“If some mishap had occurred today, who would be held responsible?” he questioned.
According to initial reports, a large rock reportedly fell from a considerable height onto the road, with pieces of the material hitting a vehicle carrying school students. Fortunately, no students or other people were injured in the incident.
Safety concerns raised
The incident has raised concerns over safety arrangements at metro construction sites, particularly for motorists and pedestrians using roads near ongoing construction work.
Thackeray also referred to a similar incident in Mulund a few months ago, where a Metro 4 slab collapsed, resulting in the death of a citizen. He alleged that the “BJP-Munde government” had failed to learn from such incidents.
“Substandard work is being hastily approved solely to inflate percentages and fill contractors' pockets. No safety rules are being followed whatsoever,” Thackeray alleged.
Thackeray demands safety audit
Calling for immediate action, Thackeray demanded that the contractor responsible be “blacklisted” for allegedly putting people's lives at risk. He also called for criminal charges against the officials and contractor concerned and demanded an immediate third-party safety audit of all ongoing metro works across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has imposed a cumulative Rs 12.5 crore penalty on the contractor J Kumar and consultants following a safety lapse at the under-construction Medetiya Nagar Metro station on Line 9 on Western Express Highway.
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