CURIOSITY

Why Mumbai Foot over Bridge collapsed?

WHERE :

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Station in south Mumbai

WHEN:

14^th March, 2019 IST 7:20 pm

WHAT:

Foot over bridge connected the area near the times of India building with the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajTerminus railway station was collapsed during peak hours.

Fatality: 6 died, 33 injured.

HOW:

The floor slab of foot over bridge was collapsed suddenly on railway track.

WHY:

·       

          The slab of the bridge was not in good condition; steel in the slab was exposed. Measures such as maintenance of RC parapet and railings for anticorrosion were required. Floor beam near support was heavily corroded. End vertical element of North side truss heavily corroded.

·        

      It said that the NDT test for steel structures as per sheet no 8 need to be conducted on site for        assessing residual strength of steel members.The foundation was not exposed and also the foundation plans were not available hence no concrete conclusion can be drawn regarding the safety and condition of the foundation.The structural auditor has not raised any alarm for anticipated failure of structural members and not recommended any specific need for repairs. The auditor has reported that condition of joints, deflection, cracks, spalling etc. in GOOD condition.

·         Auditor has reported that the critical structural items i.e. concrete and steel member are in GOOD condition and without any defects like crack , flaws and voids etc. Report suggests overall condition of the bridge as GOOD.

CONCLUSION:

It is reasonably concluded that the structural audit is not carried out correctly and major lapses are observed in conducting the structural audit of the bridge on the background of sudden collapse of the bridge on 14-03-2019 i.e. within a short period of submission of report on 13-08-2018.

ACTION AFTER INCIDENT:

An FIR has been being registered against concerned officials of Central Railway and BMC under section 304A (Causing death by negligence) of IPC at the Azaad Maidan Police Station.

-By:  Prof. Vidhi Patel
Rai University Ahmedabad

Rai University established by Gujarat State Legislature under Gujarat Act No. 12 of 2012, promises to fulfill its mandate of nurturing young minds, developing intellectual and professional faculties with a service to the cause of society. It is the mission of Rai University to develop young leaders capable of providing insightful direction to any organization and thereby creating a knowledgeable, loyal and dedicated human resource. Rai University is awarded as the Best Upcoming Private University in year 2012 by ASSOCHAM.