42 migrant workers died in Gurugram this year, 20 of them at construction sites: Police

At least 42 migrant workers were killed in Gurugram till July 30 this year, of these 20 died during accidents at construction sites, according to police data, underlining the need for stricter compliance of the safety norms even as labourers alleged that many incidents go unreported

At least 42 migrant workers were killed in Gurugram till July 30 this year, of these 20 died during accidents at construction sites, according to police data, underlining the need for stricter compliance of the safety norms even as labourers alleged that many incidents go unreported.

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The police added that rest of the 22 deaths were reported from offices, workshops, factories and other work places.

According to officers aware of the matter, majority of the construction-related deaths have taken place at sites on the outskirts of the city such as Badshahpur, Manesar, Pataudi, Farrukhnagar and in sectors along the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and Dwarka Expressway where most of the construction work is currently going on. They added that accidents that led to deaths ranged from caving in of the soil while digging basements, falling from multi-storey buildings and electrocution among others, and added that probe in majority of the cases has shown that safety norms were not being followed.

In the latest incident, four daily wage workers were killed and one was critically injured after they fell from the sixteenth floor of an under-construction building at Sector-77 in Gurugram on Tuesday evening. Officials from the department of town and country planning (DTCP), who inspected the spot soon after incident, said the five workers were connecting a heavy lift tower crane to the sixteenth floor of Tower E, which is still under construction at the housing complex.

On July 25, two daily wage workers were killed and one severely injured on Sunday after the periphery wall of an adjacent iron factory allegedly collapsed on them, in Behrampur Khatola in Badshahpur’s Sector 73. Then, on June 10, two labourers died while another was injured after an iron beam allegedly broke and fell during shuttering work on the 19th floor of an under-construction commercial building at Sector 65 .

Rajender Saroha, a trade union leader and former secretary, Bhavan Nirman Kamgar Union, alleged that at several construction sites, workers are not given even basic gear such as harnesses, and safety nets at high-rises is often missing. “Barring two or three companies and sites, safety of workers and safe work environment are often not the priority of both developers and contractors. The labour department must enforce rules strictly and the administration should also monitor the project sites, otherwise such fatal accidents will continue,” he said.

The district administration on Wednesday said it has constituted a four-member team to investigate into the Tuesday’s incident and ordered suspension of work at the site.

Deputy commissioner of Gurugram Nishant Kumar Yadav said the next of kin of each victim will be given ₹10 lakh as compensation, and added the they are working out the amount to be provided to the injured worker.

Dharmvir Saini, district president, Bhavan Nirman Kamgar Union, a collective of construction labourers, alleged that contractors at smaller sites often try to hush up accidents and the workers, who have little institutional support, are sent to their native villages with little or no compensation. “In a number of cases, the family of the deceased workers are paid smaller amounts of money, and are asked to keep quiet. The migrants workers have little support and choice in such matters,” Saini alleged.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that in all cases reported to the police, the accused are booked under relevant sections of the law and action is taken against everyone responsible for the deaths of workers. “Majority of the cases relating to 42 deaths were reported from construction sites in Sector 57, Badshahpur, Manesar and Kherki Daula area. In each incident, police formed special teams to arrest the suspects, and challans were also issued for negligence of safety rules,” he said.

Nishant Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurugram said they plan to compile a list of safety guidelines to be followed at construction sites. “Monitoring of these sites will be done on priority. These accidents can be prevented if safety protocols are followed. We will ensure that rules are not violated,” he said.

Surender Singh Saharan, additional labour commisioner, Gurugram said they are going to make enforcement of safety rules at work sites more stringent. “More teams will be deployed at sites and random inspections will be carried out to ensure safety protocols are followed,” he said.

Narender Solanki, senior town planner, also directed the district labour department to ensure safety norms are followed at all ongoing construction project sites.