Under-construction reinforcement structure for the Namma Metro pillar collapsed on the busy Outer Ring Road (ORR) near HBR Layout, killing a mother and a child, in Bengaluru on January 10, 2023.
Woman and a toddler crushed by Metro Pillar
The accident took place around 10:30 am on Outer Ring Road near HBR Layout in the city. The height of the pillar was about 40 feet and it weighed several tonnes.
Lohit, the husband of the woman who died in the incident, said that he has lost everything. Expressing sorrow over the accident, he demanded the government guarantee such incidents do not occur again.
Describing the incident, the husband said, “We were traveling in a two-wheeler. I was supposed to drop them to a concerned place and then leave from there. But this incident happened within a fraction of a second. As I looked back, my wife and kid had fallen. Nothing was there in my hand.”
He asked the government to take safety measures and precautions to avert any such occurrence in the future. “What should I tell the government, I have lost everything. The government should only ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. All the safety and precautions should be taken so that others do not have to face this situation,” he said. Reported NDTV.
Shocking claim
Surprisingly, an eyewitness said that the authorities concerned were informed that the iron structure that was erected for the construction of an 80-foot-tall pillar might collapse, but no one paid attention.
“I noticed the structure was wobbly for the past five days. Nothing was done about it,” said Sadam Pasha, who works in the area and was among those who rushed the family to a nearby hospital. Reported TOI.
“It happened around 10 am. The structure fell on the woman’s chest and the child, who was on her lap, also suffered a head injury. Who is going to take responsibility for the two innocent lives lost,” asked Pasha.
BMRCL managing director Anjum Parwez on Tuesday stated they will ask the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to conduct a study to find out the reason for the reinforcement structure made of iron rods collapsing at HBR Layout on Outer Ring Road.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “All safety precautions were taken but in spite of that, the accident happened. We have to do a detailed investigation. IISc will be roped in to study the structure and give a report to BMRCL on what went wrong. We don’t want allegations of bias by doing an internal investigation.”
