Granite stones fall at Mumbai Metro Line 9 site, MMRDA slaps Rs 12.5cr penalty for safety lapse | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: A safety lapse at Medetiya Nagar station on Metro Line 9 on Monday saw granite stones fall into a barricaded work area, with some later puncturing the tyres of a passing vehicle, prompting MMRDA to impose penalties totalling Rs 12.5 crore on the contractor and two agencies.The incident occurred at around 11.50am during debris removal and material-shifting work. According to MMRDA, a material basket being handled by a crane accidentally came into contact with granite stones stacked near the foot overbridge, causing some stones to fall from the FOB level into the barricaded area.MMRDA clarified that no granite stones fell on or directly struck any school van or bus. Some scattered pieces were subsequently run over by a vehicle passing through the area, puncturing its tyres. No students were present in the vehicle and no injuries were reported.Taking serious note of the lapse, MMRDA imposed a Rs 10 crore penalty on J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd (JKIL), the contractor, Rs 1.5 crore on Gajanan and Rs 1 crore on Systra-CEG-General Consultant. The authority directed all agencies to strictly follow prescribed safety protocols and implement corrective measures to prevent a recurrence.The action against J Kumar comes against the backdrop of a series of penalties imposed on the contractor for delays, poor workmanship and safety lapses across MMRDA projects.In March 2024, MMRDA fined J Kumar Rs 50 lakh for delays in the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) Extension project. Four months later, in July, it imposed another Rs 50 lakh penalty for potholes and road-closure issues, along with a daily penalty of Rs 10 lakh.The contractor was fined Rs 1.5 crore in September-October 2024 for slow progress on Metro Line 2B and Rs 30 lakh in December 2024 following a fatal cement-mixer accident on Metro Line 9. In 2025, J Kumar was fined Rs 10 lakh for poor workmanship on the SCLR cable-stayed flyover, Rs 10 lakh in September after a hydraulic jack fell at a Metro 9 site, and Rs 5 lakh in November following a safety violation and fire scare on Metro 9.The penalties escalated in 2026. In April, MMRDA imposed Rs 1 crore on J Kumar after a 400-tonne crane toppled during Metro Line 2B construction. In May, the contractor was fined another Rs 1 crore after a worker died at the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector site, with the action citing safety and reporting lapses. In July, J Kumar was fined Rs 10 lakh after a biker was injured during pothole-repair work on Metro Line 9.The latest Rs 10 crore penalty is therefore substantially higher than the fixed penalties imposed on J Kumar in the incidents listed above, taking the cumulative amount to Rs 15.15 crore if the latest action is included.J Kumar: MMRDA penalties over safety, delays and workmanshipJ Kumar: MMRDA penalties since March 2024