A steel girder erected for building a foot overbridge at the Mohan Nagar metro station in Ghaziabad collapsed on Monday morning, leaving five people injured. The steel girder, that was installed on Sunday night, came crashing down around 10 a.m. on the heavy traffic area.
Eyewitness account
“I was driving from Meerut to Anand Vihar to visit a relative who is admitted in a hospital. We were stuck in the traffic initially. The moment it started, the girder suddenly fell on the auto that was right in front of our car. Even though I tried to turn away, it hit our car,” said Wahid Roy, who was driving four other people in the vehicle.
Gaurav Kumar, a resident of the area, said, “We were crossing the road when we saw the girder fall. First, the auto got crushed and then it hit the bike and a car. We rushed to bring the victims out of vehicles. They were bleeding a lot and were taken to a hospital.”
The victims were rushed to Narinder Mohan Hospital.
‘Sister in ICU’
“I got a call from my family saying that Seema [a victim in the incident] was injured in an accident and we immediately rushed to the hospital. We are waiting to meet the doctor to get further clarity. All we know is that she is in the ICU. She was on her way to the IMRC Institute, where she teaches law,” said Amit Sharma, the victim’s brother and a resident of Muradnagar.
“Of the five victims, two including Seema Sharma and Atul Kumar Gaur, are grievously injured. Ms. Sharma suffered serious injuries below the waist. A first information report has been lodged in the matter,” said a Ghaziabad police officer.
Compensation
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that it has suspended the services of the contractors and officers in-charge of the project site.
The DMRC further added that it will compensate the victims. “Ex gratia payment of ₹2 lakh will be paid to those who are seriously injured and ₹1 lakh will be paid to all those who suffered minor injuries. Medical expenses of all injured persons will be taken care of,” said a DMRC official.
Show cause notice
The official added, “A show cause notice will be served to the sub-contractor barring them from taking part in any future works of the DMRC.”
In a similar incident in 2009, five people were killed near East of Kailash when a portion of an under-construction bridge had collapsed.
