A trash point on OMR
In a distance, the towers of House of Hiranandani Upscale pierce the skies. The emerging pillars of CMRL's Red Line strive to outdo those towers, shooting for the skies. The latter manages the illusion of greater height, being closer to the camera. One knows who is winning.
Though one-sided, this contest is engrossing until one hits the section where the old Navallur toll plaza stood.
Another contest, impersonal, but equally spirited and just as one-sided, deflects attention from the towers and CMRL pillars. Garbage seeks to take over the sidewalk; and latter hardly launches a fightback, silently taking the blows. On the part of the garbage, it is a case of incremental improvement, garbage accumulating over a span of time and reaching a point where it cannot be ignored. Down your eyelids and seek to shut out the scene, but it gets to you through the nostrils. The accumulation is so consistent that it has become ragpickers' stomping ground. In one of the images, one of them is seen looking for things he can thrust into the slot machine of circular economy and earn his livelihood. Though not captured in these images: in the corners, a herd of bovines were recumbent and chewing the cud, raising multiple fears. Stray cattle scuttering across the road and causing accidents. The stray cattle ingesting plastic to their harm and so on. The local authorities need to address this issue.
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The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
A trash point on OMR
In a distance, the towers of House of Hiranandani Upscale pierce the skies. The emerging pillars of CMRL's Red Line strive to outdo those towers, shooting for the skies. The latter manages the illusion of greater height, being closer to the camera. One knows who is winning. Though one-sided, this contest is engrossing until one hits the section where the old Navallur toll plaza stood. Another contest, impersonal, but equally spirited and just as one-sided, deflects attention from the towers and CMRL pillars. Garbage seeks to take over the sidewalk; and latter hardly launches a fightback, silently taking the blows. On the part of the garbage, it is a case of incremental improvement, garbage accumulating over a span of time and reaching a point where it cannot be ignored. Down your eyelids and seek to shut out the scene, but it gets to you through the nostrils. The accumulation is so consistent that it has become ragpickers' stomping ground. In one of the images, one of them is seen looking for things he can thrust into the slot machine of circular economy and earn his livelihood. Though not captured in these images: in the corners, a herd of bovines were recumbent and chewing the cud, raising multiple fears. Stray cattle scuttering across the road and causing accidents. The stray cattle ingesting plastic to their harm and so on. The local authorities need to address this issue.
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- The Hindu
Construction flaws caused crash at Manapakkam: CMRL officials
The construction flaws appear to have led to the girders crash at Manapakkam in which a 43-year-old person was crushed to death on Thursday night. According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) a detailed investigation into the incident has begun. 'Prima facie, it appears that the method of construction is at fault. The I-girders should have been secured well,' an official said. In addition, the vibration from movement of heavy vehicles over an undulation of a recently closed pothole on the road too could have triggered the incident. It could have been prevented if the girders were firmly secured, the official suspected. Around 9.45 p.m., as 43-year-old Ramesh, a resident of Nagercoil was travelling past Manapakkam, the girders from the under-construction flyover fell on him. At this location, a double-decker corridor's construction has been ongoing for years. While the flyover is at the first level, CMRL's phase II elevated corridor 5 runs above it. Last week, very close to the location where the incident occurred, CMRL claimed a 'historic engineering feat' after erecting a 33.3 metre U-girder for the elevated corridor. While the U-girders are fixed here for building the Metro Rail's elevated stretch, the I-girders are deployed for the building of the flyover linking Mugalivakkam with MIOT Hospital. These I-girders are also long, unlike the standard 25 metre girders, measuring 33.3 metres, officials said. 'The instability could have been also because of the I-girder length. Shorter spans usually don't cause such issues. Even in the case of the OMR, we had a 30 metre long I-girder and there were no incidents. Here, too, if the steel A-frame holding the I-girders at both points were held tight, the accident would have not occurred. We also suspect there may have been uneven loading on the frame. Only a detailed investigation will reveal the reasons,' another official said. CMRL has begun an extensive safety audit. Wherever the I-girders have been placed, like for instance, in Mount-Poonamallee Road or the IT Corridor, a team of engineers are checking every span. 'We are placing additional rods in between the I-girders and strengthening them with welding yet again at both ends,' he said. CMRL officials also said, the U-girders placed in most parts of the elevated corridor for the phase II project are safe. There are also safety officers who periodically check each site, they said. In a statement, the CMRL said: 'Subsequent to the unfortunate incident involving the collapse of the two I-girders at Manapakkam, resulting in the demise of Mr Ramesh from Nagercoil, Chennai Metro Rail Limited has provided an immediate ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to the bereaved family. In addition, the contractor Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has extended a compensation of Rs 20 lakhs to the family. An enquiry has been constituted to investigate the incident.' Sources said, locations like Saligramam should be checked and also the weights installed for overhead equipment on Arcot Road lack encasing in some of the locations and needs to be addressed to avoid any more accidents. 'If the safety officers really did periodical checks, then, one life wouldn't have been lost. They have been careless,' a source said. One of the commuters R K Ravichandran, a resident of Iyyapanthangal who frequently travels via Arcot Road and Mount - Poonamallee Road said, there are times he has feared about the Metro Rail structures above and if it could fall. 'It was scary to hear what happened last night. When CMRL is carrying out construction, they should step up safety and make that the priority,' he said.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Indian Express
Overcrowding at Delhi Metro's Hauz Khas station sparks viral debate on urban planning and commuter chaos
Morning rush hours are always intense across Delhi-NCR's metro network. But an image shared on Friday on Reddit pushed the conversation into overdrive. The photo shows Hauz Khas metro station on the Yellow line packed wall-to-wall with passengers heading towards Millennium City Centre, in Gurugram. With the caption 'Huge crowd going to Millennium City. What can be done to avoid such a crowd?' the post quickly struck a nerve, gathering over 1.6k upvotes and a flood of comments. Hauz Khas Metro Station byu/Adventurous_Gas_9486 indelhi The post prompted an outpouring of relatable frustrations and suggestions in the comments. 'There's no saving it or improving it,' wrote one user. 'They got metro every 3~10 mins either way. It's the overpopulation of Delhi. And you can't do anything about it right now.' Another user pointed to a more structural flaw in the metro network's design: 'There is no direct metro connectivity between Dwarka, Gurgaon, Noida/Greater Noida, and Faridabad despite them not being too far from each other. Sabko Hauz Khas aa ke interchange karna padta hai, hence the rush. A long-term solution is definitely there — make a new metro line, call it the NCR line or whatever. Start it at Dwarka, make it entirely underground, let it touch the Yellow Line at HUDA City Centre, then touch the Purple Line anywhere in Faridabad, interconnect with the Blue Line in Noida Sector 52/63/62, the Red Line at New Bus Adda wherever feasible, and end it at the RapidX station in Ghaziabad. Knowing our administrators, this will never happen — because this can actually make our lives better.' The physical toll of overcrowding also came through in personal accounts. 'Once I almost dislocated my shoulder while deboarding the metro at such a crowded station,' one commuter shared. One Redditor said, 'Delhi just has far fewer stations and lines for its population. Just compare the numbers to something like Seoul and you'll see.'
