Mumbai, February 14 – A man died and three others were injured after a section of a bridge on the under-construction Metro Rail Line 4 collapsed on passing vehicles in Mumbai's Mulund area around noon on Saturday, officials said.
The local BJP MLA claimed that he had raised concerns about "deficiencies" in the contractor's work during a site inspection of the Metro project last month.
While Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the deceased man and promised a thorough investigation, opposition leaders criticized the BJP-led government and questioned whether the lives of Mumbai residents are valued.
The incident occurred near the Johnson and Johnson factory on LBS Road at 12:15 pm. The section of the bridge fell on a passing auto-rickshaw and a Skoda car, nearly crushing both.
Ramdhan Yadav, who was travelling in the rickshaw, died, while Rajkumar Indrajeet Yadav (45), Mahendra Pratap Yadav (52), and Deepa Ruhiya (40) were injured. Rajkumar Yadav was in critical condition and was admitted to the ICU at a nearby hospital, a fire brigade official said.
According to local BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha, Ramdhan Yadav and his family members were travelling to a wedding.
In a statement, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is executing the Metro project, said that a portion of the bridge section collapsed near pier 196, close to the Mulund Fire Station.
Line 4 connects Wadala in south-central Mumbai to neighbouring Thane, with a large section passing over the arterial LBS Road.
MLA Kotecha blamed the MMRDA and the contractor. He claimed that workers mistakenly cut the bridge section instead of welding and securing it, and that no supervisor was present at the site, violating standard operating procedures.
"Such critical work must be carried out under supervision. The weakened structure collapsed nearly 11 hours later," the legislator quoted a Metro official. He also claimed that the contractor had previously been flagged for negligence on the LBS Road stretch.
He himself had conducted an inspection of the Metro work along the LBS Road with civic and MMRDA officials last month and identified "serious deficiencies" at more than 55 locations, Kotecha said.
"I had formally requested action against the contractor and wrote to MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee recommending blacklisting and suspension. I also raised the matter during the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly," he said.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, CM Fadnavis said that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident and action will be taken against those responsible.
He also said that a safety audit will be conducted immediately at all such construction sites as a preventive measure.
"The accident in Mulund is very unfortunate. Our prayers are with the families of the deceased and those injured. The government and MMRDA will take care of the medical expenses of the injured," said Fadnavis.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray noted that a wall had collapsed and newly-inaugurated Metro Line 3 had been flooded amid heavy rains last year, and asked if the BJP-led government would blacklist the contractor for the latest incident.
He further stated that it was unlikely, and that the contractor would be fined a few lakh rupees and awarded more contracts.
"If you look closely, the pillars are already painted – before the work was completed...Even today, most infrastructure works have terrible barricading that either leads to traffic jams or vehicles falling into open pits...Life has no value under the BJP regime," he said.
"Soon a day will come when (other) countries will issue travel warnings for such things in our country," the Worli MLA said.
City Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad asked whether the lives of Mumbai residents have "become so cheap".
In a post on X, she said that authorities were more focused on publicity around infrastructure projects than ensuring public safety, and asked whether quality and technical safety standards were being compromised in the push to complete Metro works.
State Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal demanded that CM Fadnavis take responsibility for the accident which "exposed the reality of the BJP's development model".
Widespread corruption in the ruling alliance has compromised construction quality and public safety, and the slab collapse was an example of such substandard works, he said, asking why adequate safety measures were not in place despite the area being densely populated.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said the "life of a Mumbaikar holds no value" for the government.
He also took a swipe at BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, saying the Mulund-based politician "has his eyes everywhere except his own backyard".