Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) Director Faruk Ahmed has said that substandard materials may have been used in the construction of the metro rail. He added that there might also be flaws in its design.
He made these remarks on Monday at a press conference about the overall aspects of the metro rail project and its operations.
Earlier, on 23 October, a bearing pad fell from a metro rail pillar in Dhaka’s Farmgate area, killing a pedestrian. Since then, DMTCL, the organisation operating the metro rail, has been facing various challenges in its operations. A similar incident had occurred in the same area in September last year when another bearing pad detached and fell.
Faruk Ahmed said, “After last year’s incident, we conducted physical inspections and drone surveillance. We reviewed it again two months ago. Our first priority is ensuring safety. There might be design flaws in the metro rail. The accident could have occurred due to the use of substandard materials, improper handover procedures, or other issues, but that can be confirmed only after the investigation.”
According to him, “It was the consultancy firm’s responsibility to understand and assess the metro rail’s operations. There might have been shortcomings there due to a lack of expertise.”
He said that the design might be changed for the new metro lines if necessary. “We urge political parties and others not to paste posters on the pillars, as doing so hides physical cracks. Given the cost, our metro rail was supposed to be among the world’s best, but look at its current state!” he said.
He added that those who were involved in the irregularities – either during project delivery or in taking over the work – should be brought under the law. “I hope this will happen once the government’s investigation is completed,” he said.
