The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has decided to abandon the false ceilings and go with concrete roofs for its Phase 2 construction of Namma Metro stations in the Silicon Valley.
The decision comes in the wake of the recent incidents where the false ceiling of the National College metro station at green line collapsed on September 30. Four people had a close shave during the incident when a loose brick from the adjacent wall fell on the false ceiling making it collapse.
Earlier in 2017, the false ceiling at KR Market Metro Station had collapsed in a similar incident. However, no one was injured in both the events.
The move is to avoid further mishaps and ensure the safety of the passengers. Ditching false ceilings will also help reduce the total project cost.
"We won't have false ceilings in Phase 2 stations. They are planned only for the station control room, signalling and telecom room and ticketing room", said BMRCL managing director Ajay Seth, reported the Times of India.
Many experts have questioned the poor quality of the construction regarding the safety of the structure. They have claimed that such mishaps take place inside the metro station due to the sub-standard materials used for the construction. During monsoon, most of the metro stations become a leaky mess with water dripping from the false ceilings inside the station and from the roof at the tracks.
Several bearings of the metro pillars were also damaged recently, resulting in a temporary shutdown of the metro services. Even though the Namma Metro authorities had claimed that the metro pillars would not require any maintenance for the next 25 years cracks were observed at one of the pillars last year.
