Additional metropolitan chief Pravin Darade has put up 10 screens in his office, which are connected to CCTV cameras installed along the construction spots, to keep a tab on every development
Pravin Darade monitors the work from his office through the screens, and instructs engineers on precautions and measures to be taken. Pic/Rane Ashish
The construction of the Dahisar-Andheri East Metro line and Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro line is going on at a fast pace, and MMRDA's Additional Commissioner Pravin Darade is keeping a watchful eye, literally. He has installed around 10 screens in his office, which are connected to CCTV cameras installed along the Metro work spots. He monitors the work from his office and instructs engineers on precautions and measures to be taken to safely complete it.
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Keeping tabs
Darade wants to keep tabs on every development along the Metro alignment. Hence, he has turned his official cabin into a mini control room, where he watches the developments taking place.
"Every week, we hold a review meeting with contractors and our staff associated with the Metro implementation. We thought that it would be really nice if we could monitor the work on a day-to-day basis through electronic equipment in my office, and check the live CCTV footage of the construction. The contractor L&T has installed CCTV cameras in the city for Mumbai Police. We have connected to these CCTVs from the screen wall in my office and monitor the work on site. This has helped us prevent accidents and promote safety." MMRDA is not only relying on the police cameras but has put up some five to 10 additional cameras.
Maintaining quality
"The best part about live monitoring is that all the contractors on the Dahisar-DN Nagar and Dahisar-Andheri East Metro alignment know that someone is watching them, and so everybody not only follows the safety norms and standard operating procedures, they also make sure that quality of the work is maintained," added Darade.
What's coming next
Metro lines IIA and VII
Commissioning operations of both lines is expected by 2020, provided they get clearance from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
Work on new metro corridors
DN Nagar-Mandale Metro line 2B that will pass BKC has begun, along with work of Metro line IV, Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavli.
Tenders floated
Tenders for Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli Metro VI corridor have been floated, and work might begin before December.
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