Design consultant misled us, contractor about pier: Sreedharan

The DMRC is also serving a show-cause notice to contractor Gammon India, which was carrying out the work at Zamrudpur accident site, to explain why it should not be blacklisted for two years, besides suspending its two Deputy Chief Engineers.

It also blacklisted Arch Consultant, design consultant of Gammon India, for five years besides issuing a "major penalty chargesheet" to Chief Engineer (Design) Rajan Kataria while the structural consultant, Tandon Consultants, was being debarred for two years for not giving "correct advice" to the Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC).
This decision was based on a probe by a panel appointed by the DMRC.
Vijay Anand, director of DMRC in whose jurisdiction the accident took place as well as a previous accident involving a launching girder collapse, has been sent back to the railways "on moral grounds".
Two deputy chief engineers directly responsible for the design and site supervision - V.P. Shrivastava and Mukesh Thakur - have been placed under suspension. Rajan Kataria, the chief engineer design, DMRC, will be issued with a major penalty charge sheet, Sreedharan said.
Making the findings of a probe into the Zamrudpur accident public, Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan said Tandon Constructions were appointed by them to inspect the site after cracks were reported.
"The crack on the pier 67 was first noticed on April one and we approached them on April three. They gave us a report on April 15 saying that there was no inadequacy in the design. The consultant misled the DMRC and contractor," Sreedharan told a press conference.
The Board of Directors of DMRC which met here yesterday to study the report of the three-member panel headed by IIT professor A K Nagpal decided to blacklist Tandon Construction for two years.

According to the report, Sreedharan said, the design of the cantilever pier which collapsed in Zamrudpur was not adequately taken care of.

"There was a deficiency of steel at critical areas besides a major deficiency in reinforcement detailing," he said.
On the strength of concrete, he said it "failed in strength criteria by a wide margin" though the quality of the materials used were of acceptable levels.

Sreedharan said that the accident had resulted in a three-month delay in the completion of the Noida line but he expressed confidence that all Phase II projects will be completed before Commonwealth Games next year. "We will finish all the projects linked to phase II before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games 2010," he said.
Earlier in the day, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy informed Lok Sabha that the collapse of a launching girder and a portion of a viaduct were caused by "serious deficiency" in the design of the cantilever arm and that the concrete did not have "adequate strength probably due to lack of (its) adequate curing."
Sreedharan said the DMRC will now insist on a second- level of quality and safety assurance for its works.
“The DMRC has decided not to depend entirely on its design office when it comes to the designs. General consultants or an independent design office will check the designs first and then pass it on to the (DMRC) design office. So there will be a double check,” Sreedharan said.
DMRC has also taken steps to revitalise the tool box safety drill to all workers and start a crash course for three days in safety rules and regulations for every worker at the construction site. The entire work force will be covered in 15 days.

'Metro projects will be completed before Games'

The Delhi Metro chief said all their projects would be completed before the Commonwealth Games next year despite a major accident this month and the discovery of cracks in pillars.
"The mishap and the cracks seen in the pillars will not have any delay whatsoever on the overall completion of the Delhi Metro projects. We will be able to complete the work on all sections comfortably before the Commonwealth Games in 2010," he said at a press conference.
Sreedharan also said that construction major Gammon India has been given a showcause notice and may get blacklisted for a period of two years for the Metro accident July 12. That day, an under-construction elevated section of Delhi Metro in Zamrudpur in south Delhi collapsed killing six people and injuring 15.
Gammon India is the contractor of the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line where the accident occurred. It is also in charge of building the Yamuna Bank-Noida stretch of the Delhi Metro.