Bengaluru: Lucky escape for Metro workers as crane falls at worksite

Bengaluru: Construction labourers at a Namma Metro rail project worksite escaped by a whisker after a crane fell from a height of 40 feet on Sunday, October 24.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials said that the incident took place near Udupi Garden Signal at BTM Layout II Stage at 6.15 AM on Sunday.

At the site, the construction work is in progress for connecting the metro from RV Road to Bommasandra under Phase II of the Namma Metro Project.

BMRCL attributed mechanical failure as the cause of the crane crash. It clarified that there were no casualties in the incident.

A statement from BMRCL said “On October 24 at about 6.15 am the launching girder near Udupi Garden Signal, BTM Layout II Stage, while auto launching, instead of taking support on its own leg was resting on the pier. Preliminary investigation states mechanical failure and zero casualties. The launching girder will be taken down safely. Further action will be carried out as per contract provisions.”

Speaking to reporters, Namma Metro MD Anjum Parvez said, that this was that the incident was the first such mishap during phase 2 of the Namma Metro work.

Parvez announced that an inquiry has been ordered into the mishap. “The broken launcher cannot be used again. There is a possibility that the work will get delayed by two or three weeks because of this incident. However, we will still manage to complete the work within the schedule,” he said.