Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Delhi Metro chief E. Sreedharan Monday inspected the site in south Delhi where six people were killed after an elevated section of the Metro track under construction collapsed Sunday, amid uncertainty over whether he would press his resignation or defer to the wishes of the government.
Sreedharan did not attend the usual weekly meeting of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Monday morning. He had Sunday resigned as managing director of DMRC, taking “moral responsibility” for the accident.

However, his resignation was rejected by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, while union minister for urban development S. Jaipal Reddy appealed to Sreedharan to stay put.

“He visited the site Monday morning to inspect the relief work going in the area,” a DMRC official told IANS.

Explaining the reasons for turning down Sreedharan’s resignation, Dikshit said: “I have refused the resignation of E. Sreedharan because Delhi Metro is a type of work that is not only necessary for Delhi but has made Delhi proud. The fast progress of construction has been possible only because of E. Sreedharan.”

The concrete slabs that collapsed were part of an elevated section of a new Metro route between the Central Secretariat and Badarpur. The accident took place around 5 a.m. Sunday at the construction site at Zamrudpur near Kailash Colony in south Delhi.

The accident killed six people and left 15 injured.

The debris are likely to be cleared by Monday evening, DMRC officials said.

The traffic police officials diverted commuters from the road Monday morning, and there were long delays for people trying to reach Nehru Place, the capital’s second largest business district. The Metro route was on one of the two main roads leading to the area.

The Central Secretariat-Badarpur route of Delhi Metro is one of the principal routes being readied as part of the preparations for the October 2010 Commonwealth Games here.