Power Shutdown, a Cause for Concern

Experts say though the experience caused a minor scare, it can prove to be a learning experience for BMRCl, which is planning and executing underground metros too.

BENGALURU:  On Monday, a Bengaluru Metro train carrying several passengers came to a halt near the Sampige Road station due to a power outage.

This has come as a serious cause for concern as the Metro has a separate, dedicated power supply to ensure that such situations do not arise.

However, since such an issue has happened, and the fact that underground metros are also being planned and executed, experts believe that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) take stock of the situation and ensure that all precautions are in place so that this incident does not repeat.

Express spoke to a few experts to understand the risks associated with such incidents and what the authorities can learn from this.

Prof Chandra Kishen, Chairman of Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning, said the incident was a ‘hiccup’, from which BMRCL should take a lesson from.

There might be several factors that might have led to the incident. Generally, this should not happen as there is a dedicated line to power the metro wagons, he said. “It would have been more dangerous if the doors of the wagon had opened, as people might have attempted to walk on the track and risk electrocution,” he opined.

BMRCL has to find out what caused the problem. “Sometimes, such incidents are beyond human control. However, BMRCL has to take responsibility for the incident and ensure that such incidents are not repeated. Since, these are only the initial days of the implementation of the Metro project, the incident is a learning experience for BMRCL personnel,” he added.

Sanjeev Dyamannavar of Praja, an NGO that advocates commuter rail services, said that the equipment supplier must be identified and penalised.

“Imagine if the same incident were to happen underground. Considering that there is less oxygen at such levels, it would spread panic among passengers. This just shows that the BMRCL is not prepared to handle emergencies and are really not bothered. The person who has supplied the equipment to BMRCL which caused today’s incident must be penalised,” he says.

Dyamannavar added that normally, in such cases, the authorities make use of battery-power to ensure that the train reaches the next station at least.

“However, this is not the case here. Apart from causing panic among those who were present in the train, there were many others waiting at the next station, who would have had to use some other form of transport to get to their destinations. This incident needs to be studied so that further problems do not occur,” he added.

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