COEP audit okays Maha-Metro works

Pune: The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) has rectified faults raised by people and carried out third party inspection by College of Engineering Pune (CoEP). According to the metro officials, CoEP has cleared the works after audit.

There were complaints against Maha-Metro alleging inferior quality of construction at stations that endangered public safety. The officials said that the errors were mostly of workmanship nature and claimed to have taken action against two contractors.

Following the complaints, Maha-Metro appointed CoEP to conduct third party inspection of works. CoEP in its report filed on April 8 mentioned that rectifications are been carried out and deficiencies are left.

Atul Gadgil, director (civil work), Maha-Metro, said, “As per questions raised by city-based engineers, we had instructed contractor concerned to rectify the problem and complete the works. We have fined two contractors for negligence and terminated their service. A third party audit by COEP has okayed our works.”

Ishwar Sonar, associate professor of civil engineering department, CoEP, has mentioned in an inspection report that some errors in joints particularly at bracket level connections were observed due to poor quality of workmanship and welding at some locations. However, the timely efforts taken by engineers for rectifications to remove deficiencies from Maha-Metro are appreciated.

In the complaints, issues about steel structure at some of the stations - Vanaz, Anand Nagar, Ideal Colony, Nal Stop and Garware College Station, minor rectifications of steel structure — were flagged off. These have mostly been attended by Pune Metro team and remaining work is in advance completion, stated statement by Maha-Metro.