Chennai Metro fines contractor Rs 1 crore over fatal beam collapse
A week after a metro construction collapse in Chennai's Nandambakkam area claimed the life of a 43-year-old man, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has levied a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the contractor deemed primarily responsible for the incident. The Chief Safety Manager for Environmental, Social, Health and Safety (ESHS), as well as the Senior ESHS Manager, have been held accountable. CMRL has confirmed that action has been taken against both individuals.advertisementThe General Consultant (GC), which served as the supervising agency for the project, has been held secondarily responsible. Disciplinary action has been initiated against two key personnel within the GC team — the Safety Engineer and the Senior Deputy Resident Engineer. A total of four officials from both the contractor and the GC have been removed from their respective roles in the metro project.
The incident occurred on the night of June 11, when a massive concrete beam collapsed near the Valasaravakkam neighbourhood in western Chennai, not far from the DLF IT Special Economic Zone and the Larsen & Toubro Construction Campus. The location forms part of the under-construction metro corridor linking Poonamallee to Porur via Nandambakkam.According to police personnel on-site, the accident took place around 9 pm, when a concrete metro beam crashed onto the road during construction activity. CMRL, in a press release clarified that two I-girders erected a week earlier near the main gate of the Larsen & Toubro Head Office in Manapakkam collapsed after one of the A-frame supports slipped. 'It is with regret that we confirm one fatality from the incident. A thorough investigation is forthcoming,' the agency said.advertisementThe deceased, identified as Ramesh, a native of Nagercoil, was caught beneath the debris and died at the scene. CMRL has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family, while L&T, which is executing the metro work, has offered an additional Rs 20 lakh as compensation. CMRL also stated that work is under way to clear the debris and restore the affected stretch on a 'war footing', and that an internal investigation is in progress to determine the precise cause of the failure.
IN THIS STORY#Chennai#Tamil Nadu
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