27 bearing pads critical, cracks found in metro rail 46 piers

Twenty-seven defective bearing pads on the Dhaka Metro Rail route have been identified as critical, while cracks of varying degrees have been detected in 46 piers, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam told Parliament on Wednesday.

He disclosed the information while replying to a question from Cumilla-9 MP Abul Kalam during the question-answer session in Parliament. According to the minister, a safety audit found that all 730 bearing pads along the metro rail route were not in critical condition.

Of the total, defects in 147 bearing pads were classified as minor, while defects in 297 pads were primarily related to installation workmanship. The remaining 27 defective bearing pads were categorised as critical.

The safety audit committee also identified cracks of varying degrees in 46 piers.

The minister said steps have already been initiated to implement the recommendations of the committee.

As part of the measures, steel brackets have been installed at 10 locations where problems such as displacement of bearing pads could occur, he said.

Rabiul said settlement markers have also been installed for the 27 critical bearing pads, while a programme has been taken to replace all 27 pads by November 30.

He said the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) is being appointed as a structural consultant to assess the risks associated with the cracks in the 46 piers and determine appropriate repair strategies.

Structural crack gauges are also being installed at 102 locations to measure and monitor cracks in the structure, the minister added. 100 more electric vehicles planned for women’s bus service

Replying to a question from reserved-seat MP Shacot Ara Akter, Rabiul said 14 women-only buses, known as Pink Buses, were currently operating on 13 routes in Dhaka, Bogura and Chattogram.

He said the government is taking steps to import another 100 electric vehicles (EVs) to expand the women-only bus service across the country.-UNB