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MUMBAI: A week after two Mumbai Monorail trains were stuck on the tracks during incessant rains, one of them for several hours, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has suspended two officials pending an inquiry.
In the two incidents on the evening of August 19, a total of 1,148 passengers were stranded – 582 near Mysore Colony station and 566 near Acharya Atre station. In both incidents, the system experienced power failures. While the MMRDA attributed the problem to overcrowding in the first instance, it has bene silent on the cause of the mishap near Acharya Atre station.
While the latter train was towed to Acharya Atre station, where the 566 commuters deboarded, the monorail near Mysore Colony involved a multi-agency rescue effort. It took three and a half hours to get more than 580 commuters out of the rake. The train weighed 109 tonnes, 4 tonnes more than permissible, according to MMRDA officials.
“After the recent monorail disruption, the MMRDA under the direct supervision of Metropolitan Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee has acted on the same and enforced accountability. After a review meeting and based on the initial findings, two senior officials were held responsible for lapses and have been immediately suspended,” an official told HT.
The two suspended officials are Manish Soni, chief engineer (signal & telecom), and Rajiv Gite, manager, security.
A high-power inquiry committee has also been constituted to examine the incidents and recommend corrective measures. The committee members are Vikram Kumar, additional metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, as the chairperson; Prof Himanshu Bahirat, IIT-Bombay; Geetha Pillai, CIDCO’s chief transport planner; and Astik Pandey, joint metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.
Immediately after the incident on August 19, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had directed an inquiry into the incident. The next day, a set of short- and long-term measures was finalised. Among the five immediate steps decided were regulating passenger load to ensure that the designed capacity is not exceeded; additional deployment of staff including security personnel as well as a trained technician inside each train to tackle any issues that may arise; labelling emergency windows for easy identification; additional signage; and comprehensive safety inspections of the entire monorail fleet.
The long-term measure involves introducing ten new rakes into service, seven of which are stationed at the Wadala depot. This will take place after trials and certification is complete.
Meanwhile, in a separate development on August 21, a monorail train bound for Sant Ghadge Maharaj Chowk (Jacob Circle) at Byculla, during morning rush hour, the dashboard of the train flashed a weight of 107 tonnes as it pulled in to Acharya Atre station.
Each four-car monorail train’s maximum capacity is 104 tonnes, including the weight of 562 individuals. The system has been constructed by the MMRDA and its subsidiary, the Maha Mumbai Metro Operational Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), operates and maintains the system.
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