Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) Clearing operations continued Wednesday at the Delhi Metro construction site in south Delhi where the collapse of a concrete viaduct killed six people Sunday.
Workers were using gas cutters to reduce the size of the concrete slabs that had collapsed, so that they could be carted away.

“The clearing process continued overnight and will take some more time as the collapsed structure is big and heavy,” a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officer said.

Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Ray Wednesday visited the site to take stock of the clearing process and held discussions with the DMRC officials.

DMRC chief E. Sreedharan also visited the site along with other senior officials. On Tuesday, he had ordered an independent safety audit for all Delhi Metro structures under construction.

Water and power supply to the affected area has been resumed, bringing relief to the residents of Zamrudpur, adjacent to the accident site. Traffic moved on one carriageway, from Moolchand to Nehru Place.

“We received water supply for 20 minutes Wednesday morning, two days after taps dried in the area following burst of an underground water pipeline due to the mishap,” said Sangita Singh, a housewife in Zamrudpur.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said four of the 15 workers who were injured Sunday — when a concrete viaduct on which the rails will be laid collapsed, bringing down tonnes of steel and concrete on scores of unsuspecting workers — were still in hospital.

The second accident occurred during the clearing operations Monday, when three cranes toppled over, injuring six more workers.