Pune: Rainwater leakage at Maan station on Metro Line 3 corridor following heavy showers on Sunday cast a shadow on its construction quality and preparedness even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates it on Tuesday.Techies wondered how a project of this magnitude, connecting the IT hub in Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar, could face a basic drainage problem just before inauguration. They doubted if adequate quality checks were conducted before the corridor was declared ready for passenger operations. Earlier, water leakage at Swargate Metro station during heavy rainfall had raised concerns over its construction quality and maintenance.Gokul Ojha, a resident of Hinjewadi Maan, said, “Having observed the construction of the Metro corridor over the past three to four years, the water leakage at Maan station was not entirely surprising. Concerns over construction quality and execution have persisted. Doubts resurfaced after Sunday’s leakage.”Senior officials of Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) cited a choked rainwater drainage pipe as the cause of the leakage. Terming it an “isolated incident”, they inspected the terrace slabs, joints, drainage outlets and waterproofing arrangements again at all 17 stations scheduled to open to the public on Wednesday. “There has been no report of any water leakage in any other stations,” a senior PMRDA official said on Monday.The 23.2km elevated corridor, connecting Maan in Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar, has 23 stations. Only 17 stations will open in the first phase.Ojha said Sunday’s incident at Maan station reminded him of the Feb 14 tragedy in Mumbai. A concrete parapet segment from the under-construction Metro Line 4 viaduct in Mulund had fallen on an autorickshaw and a car on LBS Road, killing one person and injuring three.“The government should appoint an independent third-party agency to conduct a comprehensive quality and safety audit of Maan station and, if necessary, the entire corridor. This should be about ensuring public infrastructure meets the required safety and quality standards, and not creating an opportunity for a political blame game,” Ojha said.Sachin Londhe, president of Pimpri-Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Societies Federation Limited, said the infrastructure should have been fully rainproof.PMRDA officials said rainwater accumulated on Maan station’s open-to-sky terrace slab after the drainage pipe got blocked. It overflowed and seeped through a gap between the station box and the entry structure, becoming visible on the mezzanine level. The blockage has since been cleared and the drainage system is functioning normally.
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