Mumbai: Will study design and give our expertise, says IIT-B director

Prof. Devang V Khakhar, director, IIT-Bombay

The director of the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Prof. Devang V Khakhar, has said the institute will offer all possible technical expertise to the railways in Mumbai, to avert mishaps like the one involving the Andheri road over bridge in the future.

Following the collapse of the pathway of the road over bridge at Andheri on Tuesday, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, during a visit to the site, had announced that he had reached out to IIT director Prof. Khakhar, to conduct an audit of all such bridges in Mumbai, and use the institute's expertise to narrow down on a solution.

Speaking to mid-day, Prof. Khakhar said IIT-B would definitely help the railways for the study. "Yes. We will offer all possible assistance, but it will be difficult for our teams to physically join the audit teams, and individually examine the hundreds of bridges along the Mumbai railway. We will offer to study the design and give our expertise on how they can be improved further for safety," he said.

But asked when the exercise was set to begin, and whether he would visit the collapsed bridge site at Andheri, Prof. Khakhar said there was no clarity and guidelines on the matter yet, as the railways were to approach them formally. "But we can offer them the best possible design solution keeping safety in mind," he said.

Prof. Khakhar has been part of the Scientific Advisory Council to the prime minister, of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Cabinet, the Science and Engineering Research Board, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the Central Advisory Board for Education.

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