Pooja Mahabadi, Pune
The collapse of the Gokulpuri Metro Station in Delhi has unfolded quite a tragic situation claiming one life and leaving four others injured. The Police said that the incident occurred at 11 in the morning when the station concrete wall collapsed onto Chaprana Road.
The police have initiated proceedings against the contractors responsible. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has taken action against the two officials suspending them from their duties. The metro station remained closed for eight hours for repairs and the Metro Corporation has offered compensation to the victims of the incident.
The collapse occurred when commuters were traveling along a bustling passage, this led to the death of an individual leaving 4 injured.The Police have filed charges against the Metro contractors and builders for reckless and negligent work, citing sections 337 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code which pertains to causing harm and death due to negligence. The DMRC has taken action against two metro officials implicating their negligence. The tragic event has sparked a lot of anger and frustration among the residents and the social media.
The victim who passed away has been identified as Vinod Kumar Pandey (53); he was a resident of the nearby Karawal Nagar Area. Among the injured were three family members: Ajit Kumar (21) from Loni, Monu Kumar (19), and Sandeep Kumar (27) from Gokulpuri, along with Mohammed Tazir (24) also from Loni.
The Gorakhpuri Metro Station which was built in 2018, is situated on the Pink Line between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar. According to the Police, parts of the Gokulpuri Metro station collapsed and fell onto the Chaprana Road, which runs beneath the terminal. The witnesses reported that large chunks of concrete fell onto commuters traveling along the busy road damaging cars, motorcycles, and auto-rickshaws.
Sandeep who was admitted at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, and two others who were riding the scooter saw the slab falling from the station as they veered to avoid the debris but ended up hitting a divider. Sandeep and the other person suffered minor injuries however Ajit was left with a fracture on his left leg.
The employees from a nearby gas agency who were sitting near the station ran to their rescue and admitted them to the hospital within half an hour.
The Metro Corporation also stated that they would provide financial support to those affected by the incident. They announced a compensation of Rupees 25 Lakhs for the family of the deceased, Rupees 5 Lakh for people with severe injuries, and 1 Lakh for people with minor injuries.