Metro: Debris bends steel cage

AHMEDABAD: An accident was averted at the Metro station under construction at GIDC Apparel Park (Khokhra) on Monday, after debris from a building demolition fell on a primary steel TMT cage. Though no one was injured, the incident shocked workers who were in the process of erecting the elastic primary steel bars. On July 26, a similar incident had occurred at the Metro rail project site in Vastral where a cage of steel TMT bars, weighing several tonnes, had crashed towards a busy street.
A team of engineers and employees of a French consultancy firm auditing the construction of the project rushed to the Apparel Park site. The contractor was preparing to strengthen the base of the steel bars when the mishap happened.
Monday's incident, however, was different as the steel bars were not tied and workers were yet to strengthen the base of erected steel bars.
"The contractors engaged at the apparel park site are constructing a station and are nowhere related to construction of the elevated corridor," said managing director of MEGA, I P Gautam.
A senior Metrolink Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) official told TOI, "Unlike the July 26 incident, the contractors were yet to tie bars together and strengthen the base."
Speaking about how Monday's incident took place, a MEGA official said, "A portion of the Ashima mill building in the construction site was being demolished and some of the debris fell on the steel bars. There is no question about the bars being weakened."
MEGA officials claim that stringent quality control routines are being maintained and that defective steel bars are being replaced immediately.
At the Apparel Park site, MEGA is in the process of constructing a fifth station for the Metrorail. In fact an additional line for the metro is being laid for alignment.
Gautam said the bars used for the construction of the metro station are made of primary steel that are more elastic and durable. "The bars were yet to be tied and concrete was yet to be poured at the base for stability, when the incident took place," Gautam said.
In the July 26 incident MEGA officials had found that the bars were not even properly tied together, because of which the bars had bent. Also, without any adequate support at the bottom, the 30 feet tall bars had been left standing precariously. The steel cages are created to support pouring of reinforced concrete for pillars or supporting structures.