Portion of Delhi’s Gokulpuri Metro Station Collapses; 1 Dead, 4 Injured

A 53-year-old man died on Thursday after a portion of the Gokulpuri metro station, located on the Pink Line of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) collapsed. The man was on his scooter when the wall’s debris fell over him.

The deceased was identified as Vinod Kumar — a resident of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony of nearby Karawal Nagar area.

A fire department official said that a call regarding the incident was received at 11:10 am, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. A total of five persons, including the deceased were injured in the incident.

Kumar, who was grievously injured after being stuck under the debris, was rescued by the Delhi Fire Services personnel and sent to a nearby hospital, however he succumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the other four injured persons were sent to GTB Hospital in Dilshad Garden. In the incident, two motor cycles and two scooters were also damaged.

WHAT HAPPENED?

As per reports, a boundary wall of the elevated platform and part of a slab fell on the road below at around 11:04 am. Police official said that some portion of the slab is still hanging.

DCP (Northeast Delhi) Joy Tirkey said that since the Gokulpuri Police Station is right next to the metro station, the local staff including the Station House Officer rushed to the spot soon after the incident.

“Our staff with the help of locals and officials of fire departments pulled the injured persons out of the debris and rushed them to GTB hospital,” Tirkey had said.

The DCP said that about 40-50 metres of the wall along with the slab collapsed. “Further details are being gathered. Debris is being removed with the help of JCBs and cranes,” Tirkey added.

Another police officer said that the metro station has been shut for now. A team of experts will conduct an inspection before any repair work can be carried out.

DCP Tirkey further added that the traffic in the area was cordoned off. “We will register a case and investigate the matter,” he said.

DMRC ANNOUNCES COMPENSATION

Issuing a statement about the incident, the DMRC said that announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh for minor injury and Rs 5 lakhs for grievous injury. It said that a compensation of Rs 25 lakh will be given to the next of kin of the deceased.

“DMRC officials are at the hospital ensuring all possible assistance to the injured,” the statement read.

It also said that two of its officials, a Manager and a Junior Engineer from the Civil Department have been suspended with immediate effect and enquiry against them is ‘pending’.

As a safety precaution, train services on the small stretch from Maujpur to Shiv Vihar are being run on single line, the statement noted.

However, the services on the rest of the Pink Line are running normally.

Where is Gokulpuri in Delhi?

Gokulpuri lies in the eastern part of the national capital. Ganga Vihar and Yamuna Vihar are its neighbouring areas.