NOIDA NEXT NEWS- Noida Metro station defect: Panel blames contractor, DMRC engineers

A high-level committee constituted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to look into the structural defects of Noida City Centre Metro station has blamed both the contractors as well as DMRC engineers for the defect.

The committee submitted its report to the DMRC on Saturday, following which two DMRC engineers were suspended.

A cantilever arm of one of the platforms, which supports the elevated platform, was found to be deflected during a routine inspection check on September 16. This had resulted in the sagging of a part of the platform.

Since then, only one of the platforms at the station is functional and the waiting time between trains has increased by 5 to 6 minutes.

The report stated that the reinforcement of the cantilever arm was not done by the contractor concerned in accordance with the approved drawing.

“Responsibility for ensuring work in accordance with the drawing is with design and building contractor — M/s Gammon India Ltd – JMC JV in this case — and with M/S Arch Consultant, the design consultant. Action against contractor will be as per the terms of contract since liability lies with the contractor,” an official said.

Incidentally, Gammon India was also the contractor responsible for installing a launching girder in Zamrudpur, which had collapsed in 2009, leaving eight people dead.

Officials also said the faulty reinforcement of the cantilever was not spotted by engineers of the DMRC.

“This was not verified by the DMRC engineers who failed to detect the lapses before allowing further casting. Based upon the findings, the Chairman and Managing Director of Delhi Metro Mangu Singh has ordered the suspension of two DMRC engineers (one Junior Engineer and one Assistant Engineer, now working as Executive Engineer) with immediate effect. The DMRC will be take action against them in accordance with the organisation’s disciplinary and appeal procedures,” the official said.

“To ensure that this type of failure doesn’t happen again in the monitoring methodology adopted by DMRC, it has been ordered that in future, photographic evidence of material used should be kept on record as part of the checking process,” the official said.