Mumbai: Cave-in scare near Magathane metro station

The landslide at Magathane Metro station (in pink). Pic/Yashh D

Landslides at an excavation site in Borivli have resulted in cracks on a service road along the Western Express Highway. The private developer, who is building a tower adjacent to Magathane Metro station and a residential society, has been fined for not taking preventive measures for the monsoon, said civic officials.

The mudslide has left a hole under the service road, which has developed cracks close to the Metro pillars. However, civic officials said the road will require minor repairs and can be open for traffic soon.

North side closed

The Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL) on Tuesday announced that the exit on the northern side of Magathane Metro station would be temporarily closed. MMMOCL tweeted that it is working alongside the BMC to ensure everyone's safety and fixing the damage as soon as possible.

The exposed edges of a residential society on Tuesday, following the mudslide. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The BMC's disaster management department received a complaint regarding the landslide on Sunday, following first spell of rain. Many passengers and residents posted on Twitter images of the landslide.

Ward officials visited the site and barricaded around 100 metres of the service road for safety, as it is adjacent to the Western Express Highway, which gets heavy traffic movement. The residential tower alongside the landslide site has a retaining wall, hence there is no threat to the structure, said a civic official.

Builder penalised

The cracks on the service road. Pic/Twitter@DKosadia

"The sheet pile work, which provides the earth retention and excavation support, wasn't done properly, so the mud wall caved. The BMC has instructed the architect to start remedial work, which is currently on. Civic officials from the ward and the building proposal department will visit the site on Wednesday for a review. The decision about reopening of the road will be taken afterwards," said an official from R Central ward.

Sandhya Nandedkar, assistant commissioner of R Central ward, said, "The developer concerned has permissions, but they didn't take appropriate preventive measures for the monsoon. Our officials visited the site and cordoned off the road. Simultaneously, we issued a ‘stop work' notice to the developer and slapped a penalty."