Delhi Metro mishap report to be submitted today

The inquiry report into the Delhi Metro mishap on July 12 is likely to be submitted to E Sreedharan on Thursday.

The four-member panel, set up by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), was given 10 days to give its report on the accident that killed six people.

Last week, in an exclusive interview to NDTV's Walk The Talk programme, Sreedharan admitted that faulty design and poor material were responsible for the accident.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Delhi Metro team, inquiring into why the cranes toppled in south Delhi on July 13, has blamed the contractor Gammon. But Gammon is ready to fight back.

Speaking to NDTV, a top Gammon official has accused DMRC of being in a rush to clear the road, thereby, leading to the cranes crashing.

Senior officers of the Delhi Metro were aware of cracks in pillar 67 but instead of breaking it down and re-building, they decided to do a patch up and go ahead. But the cantilever on the pillar gave way, bringing down with it hundreds of tonnes of machinery and concrete and killing six people.

NDTV's investigation points out that the DMRC knew what was happening every step of the way and even gave permission to go ahead.

NDTV has documents that show that hairline cracks were first noticed on the cap of pillar 67 on the April 1 at 8:30 in the night - the same day the Chief Program Manager inspected the site.

Next day, the contractor Gammon wrote a letter to the DMRC, explaining the problem. The extent of the damage was assessed.

Metro chief E Sreedharan suggested pulling down the pillar and re-building it, but he was persuaded only to get it repaired.

Finally, the metal strut, fixed to the side of the pillar to prop thousands of tonnes of load, was recommended. Gammon forwarded the strut design to the DMRC on April 22.

Twelve days later, the design was approved. But under the contract provisions, Gammon had to outsource the design work of the strut to a firm pre-approved by the DMRC.

It was ARCH consultants, who subsequently changed their name to SKM with their offices in Rohini, who were given the task of designing and recommending strengthening of pillar 67. We tried to speak to the officers but did not make much of headway.

The inquiry is on to determine if the design or material used was responsible. But with pressure to meet deadlines, many believe some key areas may have been overlooked.