Title - Platform sagged under user weight

Metro Panel Found Construction Lapses At Noida Stn, 2 Officials Suspended
New Delhi: The high-level inquiry committee constituted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, after a TOI report, has found that increased passenger weight on the Noida City Center station platform led to sagging of the structure. A part of the platform had developed cracks and sagged, prompting DMRC to undertake emergency repairs and erect support for the pillar.
    “The increased weight of passengers on the platform, after the introduction of eightcoach trains, contributed to the sagging,” said Jitender Tyagi, director (works). The reason, said Tyagi, is that the main reinforcement bars are missing in the pillar. “The pier should have main reinforcement bars placed at 180mm from the top of the cantilever arm,” he said. The cover-meter, an instrument used by DMRC, found these bars at a depth of 400mm instead.
    “These are steel lap bars, which are placed to provide continuity since water pipes go through the arms of the cantilever. These bars provide extra support,” said Tyagi. Twelve such lap bars are supposed to be placed from the top to support the platform. However, when Delhi Metro inspected the pier, it discovered that the first such bar was at a depth of 400mm rather than all 12 bars being placed at 330mm from the top. With these support bars being too far below to be effective, the platform started sagging as soon as the weight increased, explained Tyagi.
    The Delhi Metro is now also undertaking an inspection of other stations, constructed during phase II, including the Faridabad line. Stations under the Noida City Center package, undertaken by Gammon India, have already been surveyed, added officials.
    The report, which was submitted to DMRC head Mangu Singh on Saturday, indicts the construction agency and Delhi Metro engineers who were incharge of the project. Two DMRC officials—a junior and an assistant engineer—have been suspended while Delhi Metro is looking to take legal action against the contractor, Gammon India, and the design consultant, Arch.
    “The detailing of reinforcement as provided in the approved drawing has not been adhered to by the contractor. The DMRC engineer also failed to detect the lapses before allowing further casting of the girder,” said DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal.
    The MD of DMRC said to avoid this type of failure in the construction monitoring methodology, photographic evidence of the material used should be taken before any concreting is done.