Pune News : Serious concerns raised about structural safety of Pune metro stations
Pune: A group of engineering professionals in Pune has expressed deep anguish over the structural safety of Pune Metro stations in a letter addressed to the authorities. The group, consisting of engineers with extensive experience in the design and execution of infrastructure projects, including the Konkan Railway and Hyderabad Metro, has identified lapses in construction and quality of structural steel framework, as well as flawed designs at several stations along the operational Pune Metro Reach 2, from Vanaz Station to Garware College Station.
The group has taken observations at stations including Garware College, NalStop, Anand Nagar, and Vanaz as sample stations for scrutiny.
In the letter, the group emphasizes the need for immediate attention and necessary rectification in several areas, including the adequacy of the basic design of structural steel works and approval by competent authorities, adequacy of “Shop drawing” preparation and approval, quality assurance and quality control procedures adopted by the executing agencies, lapses in actual execution, testing of materials, and good engineering practices, and the quality of welding of all connections. The group has called for an immediate suspension of the Metro rail operations on the affected routes and a detailed “Structural Audit” of the structural steel work at the stations.
“We have written a letter to Mahametro but have not received the right response. As the Metro is responsible for safety and if there are lapses and mistakes then this is an important project. The construction must be stopped and route analysis should be done, later further work should be carried. But they didn’t do so. We had asked for a stability certification but they didn’t give us. And in such projects, a stability certificate has to be issued by a structural engineer. Therefore, we had filed a Public Interest Litigation with the Bombay High Court,” said Narayan Y. Kochak, an Engineer and petitioner.
The group further suggests that similar audits should be conducted for the entire Reach 1, Reach 2, and Reach 3 under Pune Metro, keeping in mind the safety of thousands of Punekars. The group hopes that their letter will be promptly considered, and necessary directions will be issued to the concerned agencies for suitable action.
This development raises serious concerns about the safety of Pune Metro stations and the urgent need for thorough audits to ensure the structural integrity of the infrastructure. The authorities are urged to take immediate action to address the identified lapses and ensure the safety of the public using the Metro system.
