One man died and four others were injured when a part of the Gokulpuri Metro station in northeast Delhi collapsed on commuters. The police have filed a case against the Metro contractors and builders, while the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has suspended two officials for carelessness. The station was closed for repairs for 8 hours following the incident. The Metropolitan Corporation has announced compensation for the victims.
A part of the Gokulpuri Metro station in northeast Delhi crashed upon commuters traveling along a busy highway on Thursday morning, killing one man and injuring four others.
The police filed a case against the Metro contractors and builders under Sections 337 (rash and negligent act) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, also known as the DMRC, suspended two officials for negligence after the incident sparked outrage among resident as well as on social Media The deceased guy was identified as Vinod Kumar Pandey (53), a resident of nearby Karawal Nagar.
The injured were identified as three relatives: Ajit Kumar (21), a resident of Loni; Monu Kumar (19) and Sandeep Kumar (27) of Gokulpuri; and Mohammed Tazir (24), also of Loni.
The Delhi Metro station, located on the Pink Line between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar, was built in 2018
According to authorities, the event occurred about 11 a.m., when portions of the Gokulpuri station’s wall crumbled and fell onto Chaprana Road, which the terminal is built over.
Bystanders reported that significant concrete lumps tumbled over commuters on the major artery stretch, crushing cars, two-wheelers, and three-wheelers.
Speaking to HT from Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital’s emergency ward, Sandeep said the three of them were riding a scooter when they observed slabs caking off the Metro station.
“We swerved and smacked the divider. “Both of us suffered minor injuries, but Ajit has a fractured right leg,” he explained
persons from a nearby gas agency who were sitting near the roof of the station raced to help, separating two people from the wreckage in around half an hour
We heard a loud thud. We had no idea what had happened until we noticed that the slab had fallen. Several of us hurried to the scene and saw people trapped and bleeding. “They remained unconscious,” said Vishal Gupta, 32, an LPG cylinder supplier who assisted in getting rid of the injured.
“An earthmover working in a neighboring drain arrived first and began clearing debris. “Fire department officials had also arrived by then,” Gupta was noted as saying
Pandey was on his way from Karawal Nagar to Dilshad Garden to provide grains. He was stuck beneath the debris from the shattered slab. Local citizens, as well as police and fire authorities, helped bring him out. He suffered severe injuries and was transported to Guru Teg.
Bahadur Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Pandey works alongside his uncle, who is a rice merchant.
The station was closed for maintenance for 8 hours on Thursday, from 11am to 8pm
A section of the slab hung precariously for hours after the event, leading officials to cut it off with gas cutters and earthmovers about 4:30pm.
According to DMRC officials, a manager and a junior engineer from the civil department have been suspended pending an investigation into the incident.
“The executive director (civil) is at the site for a firsthand assessment of the situation, along with officials from all concerned departments,” stated Anuj Dayal, DMRC’s principal executive director of corporate communications.
The Metro Corporation has declared an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh for the deceased’s family, ₹5 lakh for people who suffered major injuries, and 1 lakh rupees for those who had minor injuries.
