Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 19 : Preliminary investigation into the Mumbai Monorail incident on Tuesday evening has revealed that overcrowding was the primary cause of the disruption, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) stated in a press note.
The MMRDA in their press note mentioned that due to overcrowding, the weight of the monorail had risen to 109 metric tonnes, which crossed its designed capacity of 104 metric tonnes, causing a break in the mechanical contact between the power rail and the current collector, resulting in the disruption of power supply.
MMRDA has also appealed to all commuters to follow the instructions of the security and technical teams in order to ensure smooth operations during emergency situations.
The MMRDA and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been working in coordination to provide assistance to stranded passengers and restore power and operations at the earliest.
All passengers onboard the monorail have been rescued safely.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that an investigation would be done on the Mumbai monorail incident, which broke down at the Mysore Colony station due to a power failure on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to ANI, Shinde stated that such an incident would not occur in the future and urged the people not to leave their residences unless necessary, considering the red alert issued.
"We will make sure that such an incident is not repeated. Passengers should not get stuck in the Monorail like this. We will investigate this incident... Since a Red Alert has been issued for today, I would appeal to the people not to leave their houses if it is not necessary. A public holiday was announced today, and the private organisations were asked to follow work from home for today..." Shinde told ANI.
He assured that rescue operations were in full swing and that medical teams were deployed on-site for any emergency requirements.
Providing further details, Shinde said the Harbour Line's closure had led to increased footfall in the monorail, resulting in overcrowding.
"Due to the closure of Harbour Line, several passengers started travelling in the Monorail. This led to overcrowding in the train, and a power breakdown occurred. Due ot the power breakdown, emergency brakes were applied and the train stopped. Our priority is to rescue passengers from the train. I spoke with the Municipal Commissioner. Officials of MMRDA, BMC, Fire Brigade and police are present at the spot. I also spoke with some of the passengers. The rescue operation will be finished in a while now. Medical teams are also there. The passengers will soon reach their homes safely. We will ensure that this incident is not repeated..." he further added.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Captain Tamil Selvan stated that a major accident had been "averted," putting the blame on passengers, stating that they should have been cautious of the monorail's limit.
"I spoke to the Additional Municipal Commissioner of BMC. Almost all passengers have been rescued except 10-12 passengers. The fire brigade arrived late, but everyone is safe. This happened because of the overload of passengers. The passengers should have thought about the train's capacity. All are safe now. The public should have thought about the limit of the train. BMC and MMRDA arrived here and rescued all the passengers. A major accident has been averted..." Selvan told ANI.