A senior citizen was seriously injured after a portion of a skywalk in suburban Dahisar collapsed.
Sunil Kulkarni (65) received serious injuries in the collapse on Tuesday night at Dahisar West. Bystanders immediately rushed him to nearby Silverline hospital where he is being treated, said an official from BMC Disaster Management Control Room.
According to the official, there were no other casualties in the incident.
The 850 metre skywalk was built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and thrown open for public in 2011.
When asked, a police officer attached to local MHB police station said, “We have taken cognizance of the matter, inquiring into it and will register the case if lapses are found.”
However, RTI activist Anil Galgali has demanded the safety audit of all Skywalks built by MMRDA across Mumbai and its suburbs. Mr. Galgali has forwarded a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded an enquiry in to the incident, followed by disciplinary action against those found guilty. MMRDA, headed by Chief Minister has built 36 flyovers at a total cost of Rs. 865 crores. The 850 metre skywalk was built by the MMRDA and thrown open for public in 2011.
“Even, after spending Rs.15 cores on single skywalk, it could not last for 5 years. This highlights that fact that undue haste was shown by MMRDA in awarding Skywalk building contracts. Security of citizens is of paramount importance, so skyways must be audited for their strength,” he said.
“Faults during the construction cannot be neglected. The role of officials specially appointed to overview these projects should also be put under scanner and responsibility must be fixed,” Galgali pointed out in a letter marked to Chief Secretary Swadhin Kshatriya and MMRDA Commissioner U.P.S. Madan.
