A pillion rider was seriously injured after an iron rod reportedly fell from the under-construction Mumbai Metro Line 12 corridor and struck him on the head in Kalyan East, prompting a police investigation into safety measures at the site.
The injured man, identified as Abdul Haq, was travelling on a motorcycle with his friend Hitanshu when the incident occurred on the stretch between APMC Market and Bail Bazaar. The two were travelling from Kalyan East towards Ulhasnagar when the rod fell from the elevated metro construction site.
Haq was initially taken to Meera Hospital by his relatives and was later shifted to Fortis Hospital. He is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, according to the report.
The incident has raised concerns about whether adequate barricading, overhead protection and other safety measures were in place for motorists and pedestrians moving below the construction work. Residents have sought an inquiry and strict action against those found responsible for negligence.
Senior inspector Baliramsingh Pardeshi of Mahatma Phule police station said the police would record Haq’s statement and conduct further investigation. The statement is expected to form part of the inquiry into how the iron rod fell and whether construction-site safety procedures were followed.
Metro Line 12 is planned to connect Kalyan with Taloja and is currently under construction. The corridor is part of the expanding metro network in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, where several elevated lines are being built through densely occupied roads and neighbourhoods.
The Kalyan incident follows other reported accidents involving material from metro construction sites in the region. In February, an auto-rickshaw driver was killed after a concrete parapet slab fell from the under-construction Metro Line 4 in Mulund, according to the report. In Bhiwandi last year, a 20-year-old auto-rickshaw passenger, identified as Sonu Ali, was seriously injured after a seven-to-eight-foot iron rod fell from an under-construction Metro Line 5 site and pierced his head.
The police investigation into the Kalyan incident will determine the circumstances of the fall and whether any individual or agency is found responsible. Haq’s statement and the findings of the inquiry are the next reported steps.
