Metro’s Under-Construction Pillar Tilts At Karond Square In Bhopal
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major accident was narrowly avoided in the early hours of Sunday after a Metro construction pillar tilted dangerously near Karond Square during stormy rainfall, causing an 11kV power line to snap and fall onto the road.
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Quick action by police and metro officials prevented any injuries or loss of life.
According to Bhopal Metro officials, the incident occurred at 2.30 am when a Metro pillar under construction suddenly tilted towards the roadway. The structure struck an overhead 11kV electricity line, bringing live cables down onto the road.
Police personnel deployed at Karond Square immediately cordoned off the area and stopped traffic movement, preventing residents and commuters from coming into contact with the fallen power lines.
The central discom was informed, which disconnected power supply to the area as a precautionary measure.
Following the incident, Managing Director S Krishna Chaitanya directed officials to implement strict safety measures and conduct precautionary inspections at all Metro construction sites across Bhopal ahead of the monsoon season.
Soil subsidence
According to preliminary reports, continuous rainfall over the past two days may have weakened the ground beneath the pillar.
Officials suspect soil subsidence caused nearly 20-ton structure to tilt sharply before construction work could be completed. Concrete had not yet been poured into the pillar.
A team of engineers reached the site around 3 am for inspection. Metro authorities have initiated a review of similar pillars along the route to ensure structural safety.
Power supply restored after 3 hours
Traffic on the main road remained disrupted for several hours as crews worked to secure the site. Using heavy machinery, including JCBs, workers stabilised and removed the tilted structure.
The discom personnel repaired and reconnected the damaged power lines, restoring power after an outage of nearly three hours.
No collapse
Metro Public Relations Officer Dheeraj Shukla told Free Press that the pillar had not collapsed but had tilted due to ground conditions.
He added that Metro teams immediately reached the site with cranes and bulldozers to manage the situation.
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