Metro rod pierces through car

In the shadow of the imposing “Namma Metro” flyover, an iron rod came crashing down onto the car, piercing its wind screen before missing the occupants by inches. Shell-shocked, the occupants, a woman and her six-year-old son, thanked their stars for the providential escape.
Their composure regained, they looked up to discover that the iron rod had parted from the viaduct (pillar) of the Metro flyover before falling onto the vehicle. The project’s safety record thus suffered another setback.

Traffic jam

The blue-tinged car’s wind screen was damaged in the incident. The rod had pierced through a few inches near the steering wheel, and it jutted out in a tell-tale fashion. Though neither the driver, Aparna, or her child was hurt, the episode resulted in a traffic jam on the bustling road. “We were lucky. Had pedestrians been here, it would have been a different story,” said Aparna.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) issued an official statement that the car was damaged due to the fall of an iron rod from the viaduct between piers 164-165.

“The work on this stretch has been completed. Preliminary investigation has revealed that such incidents cannot be due to any construction work. Further investigation is under way to find out whether it is an act of mischief,” BMRCL Public Relations Officer B L Yashavanth Chavan said.

Probe on

Meanwhile, a safety team from BMRCL has begun a probe into the cause of the incident.
The police have also commenced an investigation following a complaint by the car owner.“BMRCL is cooperating with the police in the investigation,” Chavan said.