Members of the standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have demanded that criminal charges be pressed against the contractors of the site where four labourers were killed on January 1.
Three weeks after the incident, the BMC has refused to lay the blame for the deaths on the contractor or the crane operator. A crane was pulling out the four labourers from a pit where they were working on an underground sewerage pipeline, when the wire of the dumping bucket they were sitting in snapped, trapping them in the pit. The BMC has so far not ordered an inquiry into the deaths, but the police have filed a case against the crane operator and are investigating the case.
In response to a query raised by BJP leader Manoj Kotak, the BMC said in a statement that it did not know why the workers entered the crane bucket instead of using the iron ladder to emerge out of the pit.
The BMC absolved its sub-engineers posted at the site of responsibility by claiming that while one was on leave, the other had left the spot after completing his task of clearing the mud on the site. The BMC also failed to demand proper compensation for the workers.
The contractor claimed that he had paid ₹60,000 as immediate compensation to the families of the victims and deposited another ₹50,000 with the Labour Commissioner. The BMC statement read: “The contractor also claimed that he would help follow up on the insurance claims of the labourers.”
Additional Municipal Commissioner A.L. Jarhad said the BMC had sought a legal opinion to check if criminal charges could be pressed against the contractor. Mr. Jarhad refused to answer more questions on the incident and said all available information had been tabled.
Meanwhile, the standing committee members created a ruckus over the BMC’s “insensitive attitude” to the death of four poor labourers. Advocate Makarand Narvekar asked why the legal department needed more than 20 days to give a legal opinion on such the issue.
BJP leader Abhijeet Samant said, “Does the task of a BMC sub-engineer end with the mere clearing of mud. Is that more important than the lives of poor labourers?” Congress leader Ravi Raja said the BMC was refusing to act because “those who died were poor labourers unlike the rich victims in the Kamala Mills fire”.
Samajwadi Party’s Raes Shaikh said the contractor failed to provide basic equipment such as safety belts, which could have saved the lives of the workers.
BJP leader Prabhakar Shinde said the BMC did not seem to be concerned about the families of the labourers not receiving adeqaute compensation. Manoj Kotak of the BJP said that the BMC failed to understand what it meant for the families to lose their earning members.
