An order issued by Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Ashwin Mudgal (IAS), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has directed a mandatory corridor-wide safety inspection of the entire Metro Line 4 as a “preventive and corrective measure” following one death and three injuries after a slab collapse at a Metro site on Saturday.
Reports stated that the inspection will cover parapets, edge beams, crash barriers, structural elements, precast segments, temporary works, safety nets, and overall workmanship across the corridor. The operation began yesterday and is expected to continue for three to four days.
This should have happened before work commenced. The word ‘preventive’ shows us that there should have been safety measures in place across the board already.
This has been the failure in many infra projects. We tend to wake up only after a tragedy. We have not put an accent on safety, cordoning off sites or areas appropriate signage, good lighting before we begin work on any project.
Whether it be mammoth undertakings like the Metro, or just relaying a pavement, repairing a patch of road, it is simply unacceptable that citizens are injured or in this case, pay the ultimate price because safety was not adhered to prior to beginning.
Whatever these inspection teams are, should have been formed during inception. Vigil and checks should be consistent as work is on and every precaution in place, till it is operations time. Stop the culture of action only after emergencies. All these measures will not bring back a life or fill the void for a devastated family.