MMRDA Fines Metro 9 Contractors ₹12.5 Crore After Granite Falls in Mira Bhayandar

A school bus in the Mira Bhayandar region of Thane district had a narrow escape on Monday after granite stacked for the Mumbai Metro 9 Line construction work fell from a bridge. No one was injured in the incident, and no students were onboard the school bus at the time.

The incident took place at around 11 a.m. near the Medetiya Nagar Station while workers were clearing debris and shifting materials. According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), a material basket handled by a crane accidentally came into contact with granite stones stacked in the nearby foot overbridge (FOB) area. This caused several stones to fall from the FOB level into the barricaded work zone on the ground below.

Following the safety lapse, the MMRDA imposed heavy penalties totalling ₹12.5 crore on three involved firms. The main contractor, J. Kumar Infraprojects Ltd. (JKIL), was fined ₹10 crore. Architectural finishing contractor N.A. Gajanan received a fine of ₹1.5 crore, while project General Consultant Systra-CEG was penalised ₹1 crore.

MMRDA issued a clarification regarding the incident, stating that no granite stones fell on or directly struck any school vehicle. The authority noted that a vehicle passing through the vicinity drove over some scattered pieces of granite on the ground, which resulted in a punctured tyre.

The authority stated that safety compliance remains non-negotiable and that the fines were levied specifically for the safety lapse. MMRDA directed all concerned agencies to strictly adhere to prescribed safety protocols and execute necessary corrective and preventive steps to avoid any recurrence during the ongoing Metro Line 9 construction.