Safety concerns surrounding Dhaka’s Metro Rail (MRT Line-6) have escalated dramatically after a heavy rubber bearing pad detached from the elevated track structure at Farmgate, killing a pedestrian on Sunday afternoon. The victim, identified as Abul Kalam (35) from Shariatpur, was instantly struck on the head while walking on the footpath below.
The incident, which occurred around 12:30 PM near the Farmgate station, is the second such occurrence at the same location within the past year, prompting an immediate suspension of operations and widespread criticism over construction quality and maintenance.
Victim’s Family Demands Justice, Calls It a “Murder”
The tragedy has left Abul Kalam’s family shattered. He was a father of two children, a four-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter.
Grief-stricken, the victim’s wife, Irin Akhter Piya, was seen collapsing repeatedly at the morgue. She tearfully recounted her final moments with her husband to the media, stating, “I didn’t want to see him off today. I didn’t even close the door. What will happen to my children?”
She condemned the incident, demanding strict accountability from the authorities. “This is not an accident; this is a murder. This is due to the negligence of the Metro Rail authorities,” she stated, adding that financial compensation or a job could not replace her husband. She demanded a proper investigation and punishment for those responsible for the negligence.
What is a Bearing Pad and Why Did It Fall?
The object that fell is an elastomeric bearing pad, a crucial component used in elevated structures like bridges and flyovers.
- Function: These pads, made of natural rubber (neoprene) and embedded with steel layers, are placed at the connection point between the supporting pillar (pier) and the elevated track structure (viaduct). Their primary job is to act as a cushion, absorbing the vibrations and load from the moving train and distributing the weight across the pillar, thus preventing direct stress and movement.
- Weight: Despite being made of rubber, these pads are extremely heavy, with each unit estimated to weigh between 140 to 150 kilograms. Their heavy weight is why the impact was instantly fatal.
- Cause of Fall: Experts, including university professors in civil engineering, have pointed to a potential design flaw or construction defect as the likely cause. The Farmgate area includes a significant curve in the metro line, where trains exert additional lateral (sideways) pressure. Since the pads are generally not bolted but held in place by the immense weight of the viaduct, a design or installation fault in this high-stress section could cause the pad to be forcefully “ejected” from its base, as it did.
Construction Quality Questions Re-emerge
Concerns over the quality of these pads are not new. Reports from 2020 suggested that a batch of the elastomeric pads supplied by the contractor, Ital-Thai, for the Uttara-Agargaon section had been declared substandard after technical testing by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
This latest fatal incident, following a similar pad collapse in the same area in September last year (which caused an 11-hour service suspension but no casualties), has revived serious questions about quality control, maintenance, and the oversight provided by the Japanese consultants involved in the project.
Government Response and Action Taken
Following the immediate outcry, the government has taken several steps:
- Investigation Committee: The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges immediately formed a five-member high-powered investigation committee, led by Bridges Division Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rouf. The committee, which includes experts from BUET and MIST, has been asked to submit its report within two weeks. The committee will also review the findings of the investigation from the previous pad collapse.
- Compensation: Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan announced that the government would provide Taka 5 lakh as immediate financial assistance to the victim’s family.
- Employment Assurance: The Adviser also pledged to offer a suitable job to a qualified, unemployed member of Abul Kalam’s family within the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).
- Metro Operations: Metro Rail service between Uttara and Agargaon was partially resumed on Sunday afternoon, but the service on the rest of the track, including the affected section near Farmgate, remains suspended pending detailed inspection and repair work.
The recurring nature of this failure has underscored the urgent need for a thorough safety audit across the entire elevated structure to ensure the stability and reliability of the Metro Rail system for the safety of commuters and pedestrians alike.
