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The Bombay High Court has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to respond to a public interest litigation seeking a third-party safety audit of Mumbai's metro infrastructure after a slab collapse at the Metro Line 4 construction site in Mulund. The petition also requests a halt to construction at the accident location and details of compensation provided to those injured. The incident involved a heavy concrete parapet slab falling from an elevated structure onto vehicles on LBS Marg, injuring three people. The case has raised wider concerns about safety practices at metro construction sites across the city.
The Bombay High Court has directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to submit its reply within two weeks to a public interest litigation seeking a third-party safety audit of metro infrastructure across Mumbai. The directive came after a petition was filed following a slab collapse at a construction site of Mumbai Metro Line 4 in Mulund during the past month. Advertisement
The matter was heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice M S Karnik. Advocate Rui Rodrigues appeared for the petitioner. The plea asks the court to direct authorities to stop metro construction activities at the accident site in Mulund until a proper safety review is conducted. It also seeks a comprehensive structural safety audit of metro infrastructure across the city and disclosure of compensation paid to the injured victims.
The incident that triggered the petition occurred in mid-February when a concrete parapet slab from the under-construction elevated structure of Metro Line 4 collapsed onto vehicles on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg in Mulund. The slab reportedly measured around six by four feet and weighed several hundred kilograms. It fell from an elevated pier located in the middle section of the metro alignment.
The slab landed on an autorickshaw and a Skoda Kushaq travelling on the busy road. The impact caused serious damage to the car and injured the autorickshaw driver. In total, three people were injured in the incident.
Emergency services shifted the injured to a nearby hospital where they received treatment and were later discharged. The driver of the Skoda vehicle reportedly escaped without serious injuries despite the extent of damage caused to the car.
According to the petition filed by Thakkar, the accident has raised concerns among residents and daily commuters who frequently pass through the stretch. The plea pointed out that LBS Marg is a key road corridor connecting eastern suburbs such as Kurla and Ghatkopar with Thane, making it difficult for commuters to avoid the route even when safety concerns arise. As a result, several residents and families have expressed apprehension about travelling beneath the under-construction metro structures.
The petition also draws attention to broader safety issues related to ongoing metro construction works across Mumbai. It argues that similar risks may exist at other construction sites and therefore calls for a third-party structural audit of metro infrastructure throughout the city to ensure compliance with safety standards.
Following the slab collapse, several residents raised concerns about construction safety and structural reliability on social media platforms. Many posts questioned whether adequate precautions were being followed at metro project sites across the city.
MMRDA, which is implementing multiple metro corridors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has maintained that the structures are safe and that necessary safety precautions are being followed at construction locations. The authority has stated that inspections and monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure the stability of metro infrastructure during construction.
Mumbai's metro network is currently undergoing rapid expansion with several elevated and underground corridors being built simultaneously. Projects such as Metro Line 4 are aimed at improving connectivity between Mumbai and neighbouring areas like Thane and are expected to reduce road congestion once operational. However, the recent incident has brought attention to safety practices at construction sites where large-scale infrastructure work is being carried out in densely populated areas.
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