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The RI wall (Reinforced Earth / Retaining Wall) of the newly constructed Railway Overbridge (ROB) on the Paldhi-Tarsod Bypass Highway under National Highway-53 (NH-53) in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra suddenly collapsed after being overwhelmed. After this serious structural failure, Bhusawal Division of Central Railway has come into full action mode. The fortunate thing was that no train passing below or the employees working on the track were hit by the debris, due to which a major railway accident was averted. However, this incident of collapse of the retaining wall right near a busy railway line has raised serious questions on the quality and engineering standards of highway construction. Considering the seriousness of the situation, the Railway Administration has issued a strict notice to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and called for an immediate technical report.
The incident occurred on the approach portion of the railway overbridge located on the newly constructed four-lane bypass highway between Paldhi and Tarsod. Due to the heavy pressure of rain and soil, a large part of the giant RI wall, held together by concrete panels and soil supporting the overbridge, suddenly collapsed.
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Debris scattered near the track: With the breach of the wall, huge quantities of soil, stones and large blocks of concrete fell very close to the railway clear zone.
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Stir among railway workers: As soon as information about the incident was received, senior officials of engineering, safety and operating departments of Bhusaval division immediately reached the spot and inspected the condition of the track.
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Speed Restrictions: As a precautionary measure, the speed of trains passing through the concerned railway section was controlled so that any vibration on the track does not cause further damage to the remaining wall.
Not making any compromise with the safety of railway tracks and passengers, the Central Railway Administration has summoned the Project Director and Technical Consultants of NHAI:
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Technical failure investigation: Railways has asked how the retaining wall of the newly constructed overbridge caved in in such a short time? Was proper drainage and soil compaction not taken care of during construction?
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Structural Safety Audit: Railways has directed NHAI to conduct an independent third-party safety audit of all pillars, approach roads and walls of the entire bypass and railway overbridges from an IIT or any reputed engineering institute.
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Timeline for debris removal and permanent repairs: It has been asked to submit a time bound action plan for immediate removal of debris and take strong protective measures to ensure the safety of the track.
Paldhi-Tarsod Bypass was constructed to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles in Jalgaon city and to ease the traffic. Crores of rupees have been spent on this project, but such a major structural failure has surfaced within a short time of inauguration or operation, causing huge anger among the local citizens.
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Local people and public representatives allege that substandard material was used by the contractors and there was gross negligence in technical supervision.
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If this wall had collapsed during a rush hour when an express train was passing below, it could have turned into a major national level rail tragedy.
After strict instructions from Railways and intervention of administration, NHAI officials and construction agency reached the spot and started emergency restoration work:
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Measures to prevent soil erosion: To prevent soil from being washed away by rain water, tarpaulins and sandbags are being installed on the sloping part.
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Temporary Barricading: Traffic on the highway has been diverted to a safe distance from the affected section to avoid excessive load on the overbridge.
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Demand to fix accountability: Various organizations have demanded that a case of criminal negligence should be registered against the contractor responsible for this entire matter and the monitoring consultant engineers and blacklisted.