HYDERABAD: After the tragedy that claimed the lives of four migrant labourers and an employee of a construction firm at the double bedroom housing project at Keesara, broken helmets were found lying at the spot along with the remains of the platform and the centring shutters. Though this proved that the deceased were wearing safety helmets at the time of the incident, there were no signs of safety belts worn by them, which is also a compulsory safety measure for construction workers.

Other workers at the site alleged that many of the safety measures were being ignored by the site supervisors, putting their lives at risk every day. Though the workers who spoke to Express were not willing to reveal their names, they explained how they work everyday risking their lives. “Recently, one of the workers fell from the top floor and was badly injured. He was taken to the hospital alone and none of us were allowed to accompany him. He was shifted to a couple of hospitals before being sent back home. We do not even know if he recovered completely or if the management has taken care of the treatment,” they said.

In fact, soon after the bodies were shifted from the site, the site supervisor reportedly instructed other workers to continue with the work. Angered by the apathy of the officials, the workers soon went on a rampage and damaged the furniture of the office at the project site. “What they were doing was inhuman. We lost our friends and are worried about our own safety. But all they want is for the work to continue. This has been a warning for each of us working at this site. We will not resume the works unless the management guarantees all safety measures to each worker at the spot,” they further added.

While records claim that 1,600 people are working at the site, the workers alleged that the number is more than double. “The manpower required to complete such a huge project within a span of a year is huge,” they argued. “Though chances of accidents are high, there is no ambulance at the site to provide immediate medical help or shift victims to a hospital. By the time an ambulance arrive, the situation would have gone out of hand,” they added.