2009-07-29 08:25:08 - DMRC Chief E Sreedharan on Tuesday said that the tragedy on pillar 67 occurred due to the design and material deficiencies.“Based on report, the concrete was not strong enough,” Sreedharan said, addressing a press conference here.

Head rolls in lieu of inadequate engineering measures applied in the second phase of Delhi Metro project and on 16 July major accident on 67 pillar at Zamrudpur took lives of six person.Director Vijay Anand, of DMRC held responsible for accident and another involving a launching girder collapse, has been sent back to the railways.Two deputy chief engineers directly responsible

for the design and site supervision, VP Shrivastava and Mukesh Thakur, have been placed under suspension, Reddy informed the house.Rajan Kataria, the chief engineer design, DMRC, will be issued with a major penalty chargesheet, he added.

Metro design consultant ,Arch Consultancy Services, blacklisted for five years while the structural consultant, Tandon Consultants, unable to give "correct advice" to DMRC likely to be debarred for two years. DMRC today said all cantilever piers used in the Phase-II of the project will be examined "minutely" and "meticulously" by a structural consultant.

The cracks which were termed "hairline" ones were noticed by DMRC engineers and Shirish Patel and Associates which conducted a structural audit on all the Metro corridors under construction now.

"Now, we have asked all our Project Managers to be more alert. We have also decided to check 87 cantilevers on the Phase-II and 38 on the airport express line to be checked by the consultant Shirish Patel and Associates," DMRC Managing Director E Sreedharan told reporters here.

"These cantilevers and piers will be checked minutely and meticulously. A total of 18 piers have developed certain hairline cracks and they are being examined.