Aaditya Thackeray Slams Government After Metro 9 Material Falls in Mira Road
A school van carrying students narrowly escaped a major mishap in Mira Road on Monday after construction material and a slab from the under-construction Metro Line 9 collapsed onto the road near Thunga Hospital.
According to initial reports, a large rock fell from a considerable height onto the roadway during construction activity. Pieces of the falling material struck the vehicle transporting school children. No students or bystanders sustained injuries during the incident.
In the wake of the safety lapse, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has imposed a cumulative penalty of Rs 12.5 crore on contractor J Kumar and project consultants. The action follows safety failures at the under-construction Medetiya Nagar Metro station on Line 9 along the Western Express Highway.
The incident triggered sharp political criticism from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, who attacked the ruling Mahayuti government over safety protocols at infrastructure sites. Taking to social media platform X, Thackeray questioned whether the value of Mumbai residents' lives had become zero under the current administration.
Thackeray questioned who would have been held responsible if a tragedy had occurred involving the school van. He alleged that substandard work was being approved hastily without adhering to necessary safety rules.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also referenced a previous incident in Mulund a few months ago, where a Metro 4 slab collapsed and caused the death of a citizen, asserting that the government had failed to learn from past accidents.
Calling for immediate action, Thackeray demanded that the responsible contractor be blacklisted for endangering public lives. He further sought criminal charges against the concerned officials and contractors, alongside an immediate third-party safety audit of all ongoing metro works across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
