Metro 7A tunnel causes cave-in, shakes up families on Sahar Rd

Residents of nine families in P&T Colony moved to a hotel nearby
Mumbai: Fifty people from nine families whose members are employees of the postal department, and reside in P&T Colony in Sahar, Andheri East, were relocated to a hotel near the Mumbai international airport at 10 pm, Friday, following a 20-24ft deep cave-in, which appeared on the road outside their four-storey building.
The cave-in occurred during the ongoing tunnelling work of Metro line 7A (Andheri East – CSIA Terminal 2, which is partially elevated), said officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA). It was filled up with cement by the contractor overnight and the area cordoned off.
The residents who are spending two nights at Hotel Aurika are anxious, since this is only a make-shift arrangement, and they will have to return to their homes eventually. “The metro work has been going on for three years now. While we knew the tunnelling process was on, we were unaware that it had reached in front of our building. We were not informed,” said Ashish Ningurkar, a resident, who has a three-year-old child. “I am now afraid to return home.”
Residents of the building said a meeting was held on July 18 by MMRDA and the postal department with all residents of the colony, where they were told if “complications emerged during the tunnelling process” they would be informed and shifted to a hotel nearby before the tunnelling work begins.
“The engineers of this project installed supporting iron-pipes both inside and outside our building 15 days ago. We were told it was a precautionary measure to ensure the building isn’t affected,” said Atmaram Bamane, another resident. “If the engineers already knew it was dangerous, why weren’t we informed in advance that the tunnel was reaching outside our building?”
On Friday, residents said, they rushed out of their homes hearing a noise. Soon, they witnessed a hole being formed which was getting bigger and deeper. The residents rushed to the ground floor and informed the authorities. At 1.30am, MMRDA started filling up the hole by grouting and concreting; the task was completed by 6.30am, said residents.
“My wife and 11-year-old son had crossed the spot while returning home at around 9pm. What if the cave-in had occurred at the time? Why should authorities and the system wait until people lose their lives,” said Rajesh Anantwar, another resident. “They did fill the hole in record time but what if anything untoward had occurred. We are government employees, given these places to reside. But no one is bothered to take care of us or this place.”
MMRDA officials, in a statement said, during the tunnelling of Metro line 7A at P&T Colony in Sahar, an underground cavity and weak local soil strata were encountered unexpectedly. “These conditions were not identified or analysed prior to the tunnelling activities taking place on the road surface in the P&T Colony. When the issue came to light, tunnelling operations using Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) were immediately halted, and the subsided soil portion was addressed through grouting and concreting. As a safety measure, residents of nearby buildings were promptly relocated to hotel rooms in the vicinity of the colony,” the statement read.
Following the completion of the concreting process, the tunnelling work will resume only after ensuring the stability of the soil and the effectiveness of the cement grouting in the area. No individuals or property were harmed during this incident, and every precaution is being taken to prevent any further cave-ins, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Abhijeet Awasarmol, another resident, said the responsibility of the residents in the colony lies with the postal department. “The buildings here are in a very poor condition. With the ongoing metro tunnelling process, MMRDA can only ensure our safety. In the end, the condition of these buildings where employees reside is a direct concern of the postal department,” said Awasarmol.