BENGALURU: Following the power failure that led to disruption of services on the Metro’s Green Line from 1.03 pm to 1.53 pm between Yeshwantpur and Mantri Square Sampige Road stations, and halting of a train, top officials have ordered an inquiry into the incident.
BMRCL director Pradeep Singh Kharola said, “An inquiry has been ordered and once we get the report, we will decide the further course of action.”
Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said a special team has been deputed to find out the reason for the halt. “Although the incident is not big, there will be 360-degree inquiry into it in case we need to replace any electrical parts,” he said.
The Incident: On Monday, soon after the incident, the staff forcefully opened the doors and passengers were guided out of the train to the sidewalk by trained staff of BMRCL.
The sidewalk is one metre wide and passengers walked on it in a column led by the Metro staff. They had to walk a distance of about 200 metres as the train was forced to halt a distance from Rajajinagar station.
Officials said power failure at Yeshwantpur station on Reach 3/3A had led to disruption of services between Mantri Square Sampige Road station and Yeshwantpur station.
MLC Calls for Metro Safety Officer
Expressing concern about the frequent hitches in Metro operations, the BJP on Tuesday demanded setting up of a ‘Commuter Safety Department’ and appointing a safety officer in BMRCL.
Referring to the evacuation of 84 passengers from a Metro train along the track to Rajajinagar station after a power outage brought the train to a halt, BJP MLC Ashwathnarayan expressed surprise that BMRCL has yet to appoint a safety officer.
BMRCL has a chief engineer in its mechanical department, an officer to oversee operations, but no safety officer. “This is the fourth such disruption in Metro services. The authorities need to explain the reason for the frequent hitches and come out with measures to prevent their recurrence,” he said.