Fixing the Delhi Metro Mishaps

The Times of India writes (14 July 2009)

The Delhi Metro tragedy IS Assuming farcical proportions. As if Sunday morning's mishap Was Not Enough six and 15 people Died Were Injured When year under-construction concrete segment collapsed six more Were Injured When Three cranes toppled DURING clearance operations the next day. Against this backdrop, the usual Aftermath IS playing Itself out. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Has set up a probe and the Centre Has Proposed a safety committee while the contractor, Gammon India, dened Being at fault. More Unusually, DMRC chief E Sreedharan Loved tendered resignation, Citing Moral responsibility "for the accident. Although ET later "withdrew resignation Loved At The Delhi government's urging, it Reflects upon Him well. It ALSO, howeve, misses the point. The outcome of one individual "Is Not culpability. It Is Of The Systemic Flaws That allow the Individuals Leeway to make deadly errors.

Flaws exist SUCH That Is Difficult to dispute Given the metro project's safety record of the Past Two Years. There Have Been Prior Major Mishaps at seven construction sites in this period ", Resulting in six deaths and several injuries. In the latest incident, the cracks are weakened pillar HAD Been Reported previously. There Was a two-month gap while a committee Inspected it, only to declare it safe to resume work. Several questions come to mind. Are the contractors Maintaining the Proper Balance Between Design and construction safety and speed of transactions? There are adequate punitive Measures in place to Ensure That They Do? And MOST importantly, What Is The DMRC's oversight Mechanism measures?

The answers Have Implications Beyond the capital. The Delhi Metro Is a Massive Undertaking, a flagship project. Its record Favourable Has attracted attention from Various Countries That Have Sought the DMRC's expertise. More importantly, It Has Raised the Bar Nationally, running counter to the trend of Infrastructure Projects Being Besette by corruption and delay. It Could Have Provided a template of how urban development projects of "any magnitude can Be Executed In A Timely Manner and cost-efficient.

It can Still That Provide template. Aim For That To Happen, the gold probe parallel Sreedharan Committee and if it stays MONSTER ET Must Go Beyond the Specifics of the latest mishap and address systemic issues. Whether the pressure of the Commonwealth Games deadline Has Led to cutting corners ou autres factors "are at play, Problems Must Be Identified and fixed. At a time When the finance minister Has Stepped up infrastructure and allocation Promised Higher Spending on urban development, the subway project must not slip from the standard It Has Set.