Stopping Delhi Metro Mishaps

The Delhi metro project is an outcome of a sincere boss and a dedicated team. It has turned around the capital's image and take it to the global level as a masterpiece. Not only DMRC has been credited with advanced completion of massive projects but also it had earned admirers for its work ethics. Its chief E. sreedharan is one of the rare Indians who can crack whip on the lasy workforce and get the best out of them. His resignation immediately after the Zamardpur tragedy shows his moral values. But Delhi and the country cannot let off this rare person. Now DMRC should focus on the safety of common people and its workers on the site. Although it is under pressure due to common wealth games, no hurry should be pressed in and damage should be done its bright image.

The Times of India writes (14 July 2009)

The Delhi Metro tragedy is assuming farcical proportions. As if Sunday morning's mishap was not enough six people died and 15 were injured when an under-construction concrete segment collapsed six more were injured when three cranes toppled during clearance operations the next day. Against this backdrop, the usual aftermath is playing itself out. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has set up a probe and the Centre has proposed a safety commission while the contractor, Gammon India, denies being at fault. More unusually, DMRC chief E Sreedharan tendered his resignation, citing moral responsibility for the accident. Although he later withdrew his resignation at the Delhi government's urging, it reflects well upon him. It also, however, misses the point. The issue is not one of individual culpability. It is of the systemic flaws that allow individuals the leeway to make deadly errors.

That such flaws exist is difficult to dispute given the metro project's safety record of the past two years. There have been seven prior major mishaps at construction sites in this period, resulting in six deaths and several injuries. In the latest incident, cracks on the weakened pillar had been reported previously. There was a two-month gap while a committee inspected it, only to declare it safe to resume work. Several questions come to mind. Are the contractors maintaining the correct balance between design and construction safety and speed of operations? Are there adequate punitive measures in place to ensure that they do? And most importantly, what is the DMRC's oversight mechanism?

The answers have implications beyond the capital. The Delhi Metro is a massive undertaking, a flagship project. Its record has attracted favourable attention from various countries that have sought the DMRC's expertise. More importantly, it has raised the bar nationally, running counter to the trend of infrastructure projects being beset by corruption and delay. It could have provided a template of how urban development projects of any magnitude can be executed in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

It can still provide that template. But for that to happen, the probe or a parallel commission and Sreedharan if he indeed stays on must go beyond the specifics of the latest mishap and address systemic issues. Whether the pressure of the Commonwealth Games deadline has led to cutting corners or other factors are at play, problems must be identified and fixed. At a time when the finance minister has stepped up infrastructure allocation and promised higher spending on urban development, the metro project must not slip from the standards it has set.