The top Portion of the Under-Construction Concrete Box for a Railway Under-Bridge (RuB) beneath the Mangaluru-Shoranur Railway Line, at Mahakalipadpu (near Morgans Gate in the City) Collapses
Mangaluru: The Top Portion of the Under-Construction Concrete Box for a Railway Under-Bridge (RuB) beneath the Mangaluru-Shoranur Railway Line, at Mahakalipadpu caved in, which will now further delay the work, which has been going at a slow pace since the construction began. Southern Railway’s Palakkad division has got three out of four concrete boxes constructed at the work site near Netravati Cabin, Mahakalipadpu while one box was under construction. While pouring concrete on the top portion of the box, the support shuttering collapsed, injuring two workers, on the evening of 19 December 2023.
The twin RuBs — one under the Mangaluru Junction-Shoranur line and the other beneath the Mangaluru Central-Shoranur line — are part of the four-lane Morgans GateJeppinamogaru Junction (NH 66) road being constructed by the Mangaluru Smart City Limited, at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore. The RuBs would eliminate the existing level crossing gate at Mahakalipadpu, and offer hassle-free travel between the Central Business District and the southern part of Mangaluru, including Ullal, Mudipu, Talapady and towards Kerala.
As per Railway Manager of Palakkad division Arun Kumar Chaturvedi, it was not the strengthened concrete structure that collapsed, but only the supporting shutters, when the ready mix concrete (RMC) was being poured on it. Either the shuttering was not properly done, or there had been uneven distribution of the RMC while pouring it, thus causing a heavy load on a part of the shuttering, resulting in its collapse. Engineers from the division would inspect the site and submit a report, he said. He denied suggestions of inferior quality of concrete being used in the work and said the RMC was procured from a designated plant.
Chaturvedi has also said that had the strengthened concrete collapsed after supporting shutters were removed, questions about the quality of the concrete could have come up. Asked whether the collapse would have any impact on the completion of the RuB and the four-lane road, Chaturvedi said there could be some delay.