Metro work resumes at several sites after crane crash
The crane crash at a Chennai Metro Rail site which killed one and injured six others on Wednesday does not seem to have affected the spirit of the workers. On Friday, many resumed using heavy machinery at several sites.
Cranes which were cleared for use after inspections were used at some of the sites on Anna Salai. "We checked around 45% of the cranes as part of a safety drive that was kicked off after the accident.
The rest of the machines will be checked in the coming days," said a senior CMRL official. A safety team of the general consultant for the project has completed the investigation into the cause of the crash and will submit a report on Saturday.
"Cranes which are crucial for ongoing works were inspected and certified first. This was done to prevent the checks from stalling work on the project which was going on in full swing when the accident happened," said an official.
Those machines which were not involved in active work or were kept on standby will be inspected in the coming days. "All steps are being taken to prevent the works from slowing down. Even as cranes were inspected, workers were engaged in manual exercises like threading the metal mesh for reinforcement, moving soil and other works," the official added.
However, work at the Pachaiyyappa's College underground station where the accident occurred has been stopped and is expected to resume after the investigation report comes out. "Stopping work for a few days will not affect the schedule because work has been assigned and planned by factoring in possible disruptions, including rain," sources in CMRL said.
However, the contractor could suffer losses if the works are stalled for a long time. Following the accident, other contractors, too, have started to be cautious in handling machinery because they cannot afford to suffer losses caused by stalling of work or damage caused by accidents.
Metro rail underground stations are coming up along Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road. In most of the places, diaphragm walls are being constructed inside narrow trenches along the boundary of work sites.
Soil will be excavated after the wall works are over. Body of worker killed in crash flown to Kolkata The body of Sindhu, the metro rail worker who was killed when the boom of a crane came crashing down at the Pachaiyappa's College underground station work site on Wednesday night, was flown to Kolkata on Friday morning.
The agent who hired workers for the project from villages of West Bengal accompanied the body on the Jet Airways flight that left Chennai airport at 7am. "The agent who brought the worker to Chennai will hand over the body to relatives.
Larson and Toubro has borne the expense of transporting the body. Subcontractors supply workers from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other states for metro rail contractors in Chennai," said an official.
Meanwhile, three of the six workers who were injured in the accident are recovering at the government general hospital. Three were shifted to Apollo Hospitals. Of these, Immanuel underwent a spine surgery on Friday.
Hospital sources said the surgery was performed by spine surgeon Dr Shajan Hegde. "The patient is recovering well after the surgery," said one of the doctors. The victims suffered severe injuries because they got stuck under the metal reinforcement which came crashing down.