Worker at DME construction site dies, contractor booked

Investigators said that during the probe, negligent conduct was found to have been committed by the site engineer and director of the contractor firm.

A 29-year-old labourer fell off a 45-feet high concrete pillar and died on Saturday morning while working on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in southeast Delhi, police said. The contractor firm’s director and site engineer have been booked for negligence.

A stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway. (HT Photo)

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said the worker, Sachin Kumar, was from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr and a resident of northwest Delhi’s Sultanpuri. He was employed with a construction company engaged in the infrastructure project and was shifting a hydraulic jack used for structural adjustments on the pillar at around 9.30am on Saturday.

The incident allegedly happened near a construction site where a segment of the highway’s elevated structure is being installed. “During the operation, the jack appears to have slipped, due to which he lost balance. He fell to the ground and suffered critical injuries,” Tiwari said. Fellow workers rushed to help him and took him to Holy Family Hospital in Okhla. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

An FIR under sections 106 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 290 (negligent conduct during construction) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been lodged at Jamia Nagar police station.

Investigators said that during the probe, negligent conduct was found to have been committed by the site engineer and director of the contractor firm.

“Investigators are probing lapses in safety protocols at the site, especially related to the use of protective gear and harnesses for workers operating at such heights. Preliminary probe revealed that Kumar was not wearing the harness,” an officer said.

Kumar’s body was sent for post-mortem examination and later handed over to the family. “The family protested outside the police station demanding speedy justice. When police told them that a case had been registered, they dispersed,” the officer said.

While further probe is underway, no arrests have been made so far.

The contractor did not respond to HT’s request for a comment on the incident.