Click to play videoNew Delhi: Following the Metro mishap in the Capital and taking moral responsibility for the accident, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E Sreedharan resigned on Sunday.
On his birthday Sreedharan announced his decision at a crowded press conference in the Capital soon after his visit to the site of the collapse of an under-construction bridge of the Delhi Metro.
"I was in Bangalore when the incident took place. Within 10 minutes I was intimated about it but unfortunately I couldn't take the first flight," Sreedharan said during a press conference in Delhi.
“We have constituted a high-powered committee to probe the matter. The committee will consist of Prof Nagal from IIT, Delhi; Prof BR Bose from Delhi College of Engineering, Steve Lorie and Rajen Katharia from DMRC. The panel will summit the report within 10 days,” Sreedharan added.
Taking moral responsibility for the incident, he said, "I resign from the post of Managing Director, DMRC. I have submitted my resignation to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. For me even one casualty is too many."
"My colleagues advised against the resignation. Normally I listen to them but this time it is different. I have been in-charge of the project for 10 years. We have maintained a high safety mechanism. The first jolt was the Laxmi Nagar accident but this is a bigger setback," he said.
The bridge that collapsed was part of an elevated section of the DMRC new route on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur section. The incident took place at around 0500 hours IST at the construction site at Zamrudpur near Amar Colony.
A launching girder along with a portion of the bridge set up on pre-fabricated pillars collapsed. Five people were killed and 15 were injured in the accident.
The section was slated to be open September 2010, a month before the Commonwealth Games next year. However, Sreedharan said that the accident would cause "serious" delay in the completion of the line besides inflicting a damage of Rs 6 crore.
The accident will now cause delay in the Badarpur line project by almost three months.
Water and power supply lines have been snapped in areas adjoining the Delhi Metro site where the accident took place. Traffic was also disrupted as most routes leading to the area have been blocked.
Electrical supply in the area has been temporarily disconnected as heavy cranes are working to clear the debris and there was fear of their entanglement in the overhead powerlines, officials said. Residential areas like Amar Colony, Vikram Vihar and Zamrudpur have been affected.
The bridge, unhinged from one pillar is still attached precariously to the other pillar and fell in close proximity to the shops.
DMRC has started a helpline number - 23414461 - to inform public about developments.
This is not the first time that there has been an accident at the DMRC's Metro Rail project in Delhi. Having earned accolades for its accident-free working record, recent mishaps have tarnished the DMRC's safety record.
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