Haste fuels doubts over safety on Bangalore metro

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) assures Bangaloreans that it is all set for an Ugadi launch. It does not require an expert eye, however, to see that the stations on Reach 1 need a great deal of work.

Those walking on MG Road on Sunday looked up to see frenetic activity, but the station appeared far from complete. The balustrade on a staircase was missing, and the concrete at the edges of the walkway seemed unfinished.

MN Sreehari, advisor to the state government on infrastructure and transportation, also a member on the panel for the safety and security of the metro project of the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development, (ABIDe), who visited the stations of Reach 1 last week, expressed concern.

Speaking to DNA, he said, “From the situation at the stations, it seems to me that the work needs time. Although workers and BMRCL officials are working round-the-clock, the work appears shoddy and does not compare well with international standards.”

Bangaloreans have waited five years for the metro, Sreehari said, wondering why the city cannot wait a little longer for a safe and secure ride. He wondered if the safety of the trains and stations were indeed ratified by the relevant authority. “It is not enough that local inspectors offer safety clearances for lifts and escalators. The Commissioner for Railways Safety (CRS) has to ratify that these are safe,” he said.

Expressing concern at the quality of work, Sreehari said, “BMRCL needs to be transparent. They have never been so. Now that services will open to the public, and given that such large sums of public money are involved, the BMRCL needs to ensure the safety of passengers.” He wondered if those taking the metro trains on Ugadi will raise their eyebrows as they climb the stairs of the stations.