A shocking incident has come to light in the underground line being built between Shivajinagar and Swargate in Pune. A 6-inch hole was created in the metro tunnel due to a borewell being dug illegally. On the complaint of the Metro administration, the police have registered a case against the landlord and the contractor in this matter.
According to Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro), the incident took place on March 14 near house number 415, located in front of Kharak police post on Shivaji Road in Shukrawar Peth area of Pune. Here an old building was being demolished and a new building was being constructed. During construction, the borewell was being dug, during which the drill reached the metro tunnel located about 60 to 100 feet below and a hole was created in the concrete lining of the tunnel.
Metro operator Bhushan Baringe was the first to know about water filling in the tunnel. He noticed that suddenly water started accumulating in the tunnel between Swargate and Mandai station. After this he immediately informed the control room. When the technical team reached the spot and investigated, it was found that there was a hole of about 6 inches near tunnel line number 15/56 and ring number 471, from where a large amount of water was coming inside the tunnel.
Borewell dug up to 60 feet
According to metro rules, it is mandatory to take special permission for any kind of excavation or borewell around the metro route. However, the landlord Dhananjay Mote and the concerned contractor dug the borewell for about 60 feet without any permission. Due to this, the metro suffered a loss of about Rs 2.5 lakh and questions were also raised regarding the safety of the passengers.
In this matter, Joint General Manager of Metro Shantanu Gauratra lodged a complaint at Kharak Police Station. Senior Police Inspector Shashikant Chavan said that based on the complaint of the Metro administration, a case has been registered against the landlord and the contractor for damaging metro property and endangering the lives of passengers. Two people have been arrested in this case.
However, the Metro administration stopped the leakage and filled the hole with cement-concrete. Maha Metro has warned that such illegal digging can lead to a major accident.