The Maharashtra government on Sunday initiated a probe after the breakdown of monorail services due to power disruption left around a dozen passengers stranded midway through their journey in suburban Mumbai.
The fire brigade had to be rushed in to rescue the passengers and a pilot who were stranded in the car that had come to a standstill between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park on the Wadala-Chembur Line on Sunday morning. All 10 passengers and one the captain (pilot) were safely evacuated to the ground.
The Monorail services experienced a power disruption between Bhakti Park and Mysore Colony at around 8 am “as the trains were not receiving the 750 vdc electricity" that powers them, senior officials said.
ADVERTISEMENT
As a result, two trains were left stranded — while one was soon secured to the station due to temporary restoration of power, the other could not be moved as power tripped again midway. Services were restored by noon within three hours of disruption, after tests and trials were conducted for the entire system including movement of trains without passengers.
The exact cause of the power disruption is being investigated, senior MMRDA ((Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) and Mumbai Monorail officials said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took note of the incident and said on Twitter that his government was "looking into the breakdown" and "appointed Principal Secretary (Urban Development) to immediately initiate an enquiry."
ADVERTISEMENT
Kirit Somaiya, BJP MP from Mumbai, who visited the spot criticized the disaster management setup and asked why there was no alternate power supply. Mr. Somaiya said the incident was an "eye-opener” and asked the MMRDA to ensure that such mishaps did not reoccur.
"Is it the failure of the power company?I will raise the issue with the Urban Development Minister in Parliament," he told reporters.
The technical failures behind this incident would be studied so that a better disaster management plan could be put in place for monorails across the country, Mr. Somaiya said.
“No Disaster Management Plan-Who is responsible? TataPower SCOMI L & T? Why no alternate Power Supply?” Mr. Somaiya tweeted later.
The Mumbai Monorail, the first such service in the country, has suffered similar technical glitches in the past.