1,285 deaths at construction sites in Gujarat in 14 years

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat has witnessed 1,730 accidents at construction sites in which 1,285 labourers lost their lives and 445 suffered injuries between 2008 and 2021, figures obtained from Gujarat police through an RTI application show.
According to the RTI response to an application by an activist, Vipul Pandya, the most deaths of construction labourers, 137, occurred in 2018 followed by 135 deaths in 2021, when the deadly Covid wave had struct.
Even in 2020, which when the Covid-19 pandemic first hit and the lockdowns and curfews were imposed, 74 construction labourers died and 10 suffered injuries.
After the deaths of seven construction labourers, Pandya also submitted a plea to directorate of industrial safety and health, Gujarat, seeking a "zero accident policy" for the safety of the construction labourers.
Pandya said there is a lack of inspection of construction sites to enforce safety rules for labourers and the authorities concerned do not even bother to do follow ups at units where they issue notices for lack of safety measures.
He said there were 135 deaths at construction sites in 2021, including 49 in Ahmedabad city.
Pandya said construction labourers mainly belong to scheduled tribes who have to work in hazardous conditions for want of proper employment opportunities.