The foundation of the Namma Metro pillar near the Halasuru station was exposed when the BBMP started repair work on the storm water drain adjacent to it. Stating that there was no damage to the pillar or the structure, Anjum Parvez, managing director of BMRCL, told The Hindu that he had undertaken a spot inspection on Tuesday.
“When the pier work was initially taken up itself, a lot of precautions had been taken during construction, given the location of the pillar next to the drain. We are coordinating with the BBMP and have instructed civic officials to take all safety precautions,” he said.
While the Namma Metro services have not been affected, Mr. Parvez said that as a precaution, the speed of the train had been reduced on that particular stretch.
“Usually, the metro train travels at 40-60 kmph speed. At this particular stretch, to avoid vibrations, the speed has been reduced to 5 kmph,” he said.
The retaining wall of the drain, which was weak, was affected. This is after an earthmover was used to clear silt from the drain. The wall was also cleared so that it could be strengthened, civic officials reportedly informed their BMRCL counterparts.
Admitting that BBMP had initially not informed BMRCL of the repair work being taken up, Mr. Parvez said that metro officials had suggested slight modification in the drain repair work that required further strengthening of the retaining wall. “Metro officials will supervise the work and coordinate with the civic officials to ensure that the top soil does not further erode,” he said.
BBMP's chief engineer (storm water drains) Suguna admitted that the civic officials had erred in not informing the Metro officials about the work being taken up. “The culvert near the pillar is being extended and shifting of utilities had been taken up. The water in the drain has also been diverted. The foundation, though not damaged, was exposed during the earth work. The foundation has now been jacketted and reinforced under the supervision of Metro officials,” she said.
She also said that the jurisdictional executive engineer had been directed to submit a report on the incident, apart from issuing a notice to assistant executive engineer and contractor for not intimating Metro officials about the work being taken up.
