The crack in Pier 67 near Lady Shriram College in south Delhi was not responsible for the collapse of the elevated Delhi Metro line
last Sunday, DMRC managing director E Sreedharan told TOI on Wednesday, raising questions about what then really led to the accident - faulty design, inefficient execution or sub-standard material used?
In an exclusive interview, Sreedharan said the hairline crack was noticed by DMRC officials in March, months before the structure came crashing down. ``We still don't know what exactly happened on Sunday. It is true that we saw the crack. We put a thin glass on it. That is the monitoring process - if the crack expands, the glass breaks. But the glass is still there. So, the accident was not due the crack. The failure is somewhere else.''
So what caused the collapse? ``I am still waiting to see what really went wrong. Being an experienced engineer, my own hunch is that there is a design deficiency on that particular pier. There could be a problem with the material, or reinforcement on site which led to the mishap,'' he added.
DMRC, he said, was in no mood for mercy ? if there has been negligence, it will be dealt with severely.
``The matter is being probed by a four-member committee. A separate audit has been ordered to check all the other such installations in Phase II to check the designs and drawings, material used in construction and the reinforcement done on site.''
Sreedharan said he had to own responsibility for the mishap and that's why put in his papers. He said that he knew about the crack, and had in fact climbed up the pier himself to check it out. His gut feel was that the pier should be demolished, he said. But his officers said they would test it out with twice the load before commissioning the line. He agreed.
``But it collapsed under the weight of the launcher. I am a technical man and should have known better. How can I not own up responsibility? But I received support and confidence from the chief minister, the L-G and minister Jaipal Reddy. Even Rahul Gandhi rang up and asked me not to quit. Now I will stay till the end of Phase II, come what may. It is my commitment to the nation.''
And after that? ``After the completion of Phase II, my intention is to retire both from professional and public life. I will not be available to preside over a conference or to give lectures. I want to devote my time to spirituality now for which I plan to go back to my village near Palghat in Kerala. I have no domestic worries,'' he said.
He is already grooming a successor to take over charge of Phase III, Sreedharan said. ``There are 3-4 people. But they will not flower till I am here. It's something like a banyan tree ? unless you cut it, the other trees can't grow.''
