Kalyan: A youth was seriously injured after an iron rod allegedly fell from an under-construction Metro Line 12 site and struck him on the head while he was travelling on a motorcycle in Kalyan East, raising serious concerns over safety measures at the construction site.The injured youth, identified as Abdul Haq, was initially admitted to Meera Hospital by his relatives. He was later shifted to Fortis Hospital for further treatment and is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU).According to information available, Haq was travelling as a pillion rider on a motorcycle being driven by his friend, Hitanshu. The duo was heading from Kalyan East towards Ulhasnagar when the iron rod fell on Haq’s head from the Metro Line 12 construction site. The incident occurred on the stretch between APMC Market and Bail Bazaar, where metro work is underway.The incident has raised questions over whether adequate safety precautions are being taken to protect motorists and pedestrians passing beneath the elevated metro construction work. Residents have demanded an inquiry into the incident and strict action against those found responsible for negligence.Senior inspector Baliramsingh Pardeshi of Mahatma Phule police station said the police will record the injured youth’s statement and conduct further investigation.Metro Line 12, which will connect Kalyan with Taloja, is currently under construction.Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This year in Feb, an auto-rickshaw driver was killed after a concrete parapet slab fell from under-construction Metro Line 4 in Mulund while, in Bhiwandi last year, a 20-year-old auto-rickshaw passenger, Sonu Ali, was seriously injured after a seven-to-eight-foot-long iron rod fell from an under-construction Metro Line 5 site and pierced his head.The latest incident has brought the issue of public safety at metro construction sites back into focus.
