BMRCL to change casting technique on Airport Line

BENGALURU: With the huge height of the reinforcement cage resulting in it swaying and causing two deaths on Tuesday morning, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation has now decided to change its strategy for casting its columns. Contractor NCC Ltd, which is carrying out work on all the three packages of the 37-km line from K R Puram to Kempegowda International Airport, will have to go for a complete overhaul now. The contractor was issued a notice by BMRCL following the accident.

A top BMRCL source said, “The Phase-I package of the Airport Line from Benigenahalli to Kempapura has a total of 332 piers. Of these, work has already been completed on 26 piers. The technique used in the present pillar No 218 on Hennur Ring Road at HBR Layout was used in the ones that have been completed. Nothing happened to any of them. So we will not disturb them.”

However, to avert any such accidents in future, BMRCL will insist that the contractor changes the technique of casting the columns on pillars, the source said. “Since these pillars run up to a height of 18 metres, we will now ensure that concrete is laid for say up to 10 metres. This will ensure it is secured with a strong foundation. It will only be 8 metres that will stand out.”

This strategy has been adopted across all projects of Phase-II, he pointed out. “It is only in the Airport Line stretch that the technique was changed. We will not permit it anymore. The strategy will now be adopted in all the three packages to be done by NCC Ltd,” the source added.