MUMBAI: Mulund police have arrested five persons – project director Harish Chauhan, project manager Kuldeep Sapkal, deputy manager Saurab Singh, and supervisor Prashant Bhoir from RAJV-Milan Infra, and project manager Avdhoot Inamdar from DB-Hill-LBG consortium – following the collapse of a parapet segment of the underconstruction Metro Line 4 on LBS Marg in Mulund West on Saturday afternoon, which left one person dead and three injured. Fire brigade teams, police, Metro staff and civic officials secured the site, and traffic on the arterial road was affected for several hours. Police said a nearly 150m stretch in the Sion-bound direction will remain closed until safety clearance is given after inspection by the MMRDA team, and diversions have been put in place to manage congestion in the Mulund-Bhandup belt.
MMRDA imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on the contractor RAJV-Milan, and Rs 1 crore on the project management consultant, DB-Hill-LBG consortium even as politicians called out the previous violations by the contractor and the lack of safety standards at infrastructure sites across the city.
Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha said the parapet segment was installed on Friday and alleged labourers attended to it without a supervisor present. He claimed workers disturbed the temporary fastening of the segment, causing it to dislodge, and added that 54 violations by the contractor in Mulund were previously flagged, but ignored.Mayor Ritu Tawde said the recently installed stretch should have been barricaded, indicating negligence and a lack of adequate on-ground safety measures.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, in a social media post, criticised safety standards at infrastructure sites and questioned whether the contractor would be blacklisted, alleging repeated lapses and inadequate barricading at project locations.MMRDA said it will bear the medical expenses of the injured and provide financial assistance to the affected family as per policy, assuring priority disbursal of compensation. The authority halted work at the stretch and began a structural safety assessment in coordination with BMC, disaster management authorities, police and fire brigade. The work falls under Package CA-10 of Metro Line 4.Additional metropolitan commissioner Ashwin Mudgal and senior officials inspected the site and reviewed safety measures, while doctors from Fortis Hospital were asked to independently assess the injured patients’ condition and suggest advanced intervention if required.A high-level inquiry committee, headed by Basavraj M Bhadragond, director (projects), was formed to examine construction methodology, quality control systems and supervision mechanisms. Further action, including blacklisting and contractual remedies, will be decided after the inquiry based on accountability.MMRDA clarified that viral visuals circulating online relate to a different location and not Pier .– Inputs by Mateen Hafeez
