Mumbai: MMRDA on Sunday blacklisted a sub-contractor and imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the main contractor in case of a major safety lapse in which a tragedy was averted as an iron jack fell near Bhayander bridge on Saturday evening. The incident occurred at the under-construction Mumbai Metro Line 9 site near the Bhayander East-West bridge.An X user who shared the video claimed that a heavy iron jack fell from the metro bridge into a busy public area below. However, no injuries were reported, he said, but the incident was viral on social media and there was outrage from citizens as it concerned public safety. The incident happened around 5.40 pm, wherein an iron jack fell and narrowly missed people and there was a possibility that it could have fallen on somebody’s head and that could have been fatal.In a statement, MMRDA said on social media : “During the lowering operation of a U-Girder at Metro Line 9 (Golden Nest area), jack arrangements were in place and the entire working area was safely barricaded to restrict access. While fixing the jack, it accidentally toppled within the barricaded zone. Importantly, no citizen, labourer, or public asset was harmed.”The statement however added that immediate action has been initiated against the contractor and subcontractor. The MMRDA has also appointed a third party specialist agency for inspection.
