Pune: Contractor, labour supervisor among several booked over building collapse that killed 5

The incident took place around 10.45 pm on Thursday at Shastrinagar in the Yerwada area. The labourers, all of them from Bihar, were buried under tons of metal after the supporting structure came down over them. The injured were taken to the Sassoon General Hospital.

Mohammad Nahid Mohammad Master, a 21-year-old construction worker, has lodged a case under Sections 304 (culpable homicide), 336 (endangering human life by acting negligently), 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code.“Despite knowing that accidents may take place during the construction, the accused persons did not take requisite precautions and caused the death of five persons,” reads the FIR.

Those booked include Bluegrass Business Park’s construction contractor, Mohan Achalkar of Ahluwalia Contractor Pvt Ltd, and the firm’s several unnamed staffers; MCPL’s labour supervisor identified as Sharif; and CNW’s supervisor Satish.

Shivaji Khatke, director of the Building Contractors Association who visited the site in the morning, said this was the first time in the past 20 years that he had seen such an accident. “The accident took place in the basement raft that was under construction. The cuplock pole support that lifts the upper raft (a mesh of iron rods) was not enough. Such heavy material requires more support. This could have been avoided with proper precautions,” he said.

Several people were injured and are being treated in the Sassoon hospital.

Labour organisations visited the accident site. Said Kabeer Panasare of Shramik Hakka Andolan, “The Maharashtra government and the Pune municipal corporation have laid out orders for labour registration with the Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board since 2017-2018, but implementation is weak. We have been working for this because if these workers are not registered and die or get injured in such incidents, they don’t get the due benefits from the government. Such accidents are on the rise. We are going to stage a protest in coordination with the Maharashtra Construction Workers Association.”