Delhi Metro suffers another mishap in over 24 hours

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) The prestigous Delhi Metro
project Monday suffered yet another mishap, but miraculously
there were no casualties as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
(DMRC) chief E Sreedharan withdrew his resignation which he
had sent after an under-construction pier collapsed killing
six persons Sunday.

The iconic Metro man visited the site of the accident
early this morning after persuasion by the Delhi Chief
Minister, Union Urban Development Minister and the Lieutenant
Governor of Delhi, but shortly after he left the site the
second mishap in 24 hours took place.

Six persons were injured when cranes carrying out
debris clearance operation at the site of the metro accident
collapsed with a 200-tonne capacity crane toppling over under
the impact.

Metro authorities said the crane mishap was caused due
to a mechanical fault and that heavier cranes would be used
from now on.

DMRC officials and Doctors at the All India Institute
of Medical Science (AIIMS) trauma centre said six persons were
brought to the hospital from the accident site with minor
injuries.

Mumbai-based Gammon Infrastructure, the company
in-charge of the construction under attack, said it will pay
compensation to all the six employees who were killed
yesterday.

Metro Rail Spokesperson Anuj Dayal told reporters here
that Sreedharan has withdrawn his resignation in view of the
letter he received from Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
(asking him to continue as the DMRC Managing Director)".

Dayal said the Metro chief also took into
consideration the persuasion of Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder
Khanna and Indian Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal
Reddy who asked him to withdraw his resignation letter and
continue in the post.

Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said in
Parliament, the Government was not averse to holding a
judicial inquiry into the Delhi Metro accident but would await
the report of an expert committee set up to go into the causes
of the mishap.

He also rejected the contention that the accident had
occurred due to hurry to complete projects in view of the
Commonwealth Games next year.

The Delhi Government discussed the issue at its
Cabinet meeting after which Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said
"the Cabinet discussed the entire incident and now we are
waiting for the report after which appropriate action will be
taken".

On being asked if the government would set up a
separate probe panel, she said, "there is no need for a
separate committee. DMRC is a responsible body. We don't
interfere in their work. The panel constitutes of well-known
experts."

Dikshit said "let them submit the report then we will
see," she added.

On the DMRC chief continuing in his post, she said,
"we respect his sentiments. But we also know that the
Delhi Metro and the country need him. Not only he did good
work for Delhi but also for the country".

Highly placed sources said the government rejected his
resignation as it viewed that his continuation was necessary
for successful completion of projects related to Delhi Metro
ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year.

At the construction site at Jamrudpur, the slow pace
of debris clearance operations affected normal life in the
locality, with locals deprived of power and water supply
besides witnessing problems in traffic movement.

Traffic was at a standstill in areas leading to the
mishap site in Jamrudpur this morning. PTI