In a continued showing of gross negligence in international construction, official reports from India this week announced that cost cutting measures circumvented many construction standards and safety protocols in order to cut construction costs. The same construction site under the supervision of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that experienced the worst accident in its history on July 12 suffered another setback to rescue operations when the rescue cranes collapsed, injuring 5 workers.
The official report, announced by Saugata Roy, minister of state in India’s Ministry of Urban Development, revealed that in order to save money on the project, the construction company contracted to perform the work was also given the task of designing parts of the bridge. This presents not only a conflict of skills, but a conflict of interest; the construction company has it in their best interest to save as much money as possible on materials and construction. The construction company in question, Gammon India Ltd, maintains that costs were not cut and that all safety standards were followed to the letter. The question of the legitimacy of this claim is up for debate, however. During the first phase of construction for the Delhi Metro, the design was performed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and its consultants while construction was carried out by separate contractors. However, during the second phase the duties of construction and design were combined, creating a possibility for a serious construction site accident.