8 wall painters injured in Navi Mumbai scaffolding collapse, contractor booked

Nerul police inspector said the contractor had not provided the painters with safety gears for doing the work and he was being booked for negligence.

At least eight workers painting a wall suffered injuries on Wednesday morning after the scaffolding supporting them collapsed at a posh residential complex in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai.

Rescue work going on at the Navi Mumbai site after the collapse of the scaffolding at a posh Nerul residential building. (HT photo/Bachchan Kumar)

The painters were not wearing safety gear when the accident took place and hence the police have registered a case of negligence against contractor Santosh Ramkuti.

According to the police, the accident took place at around 10.30 am when ten workers were painting the outer wall of Shailesh Tower at Nerul, sector 19A. All of a sudden, a bamboo pole in the scaffolding gave way, triggering the collapse of the entire scaffolding.

“Around eight painters were injured in the accident and two of them suffered grievous injuries. All of them were rushed to DY Patil Hospital at Nerul. No resident from the building suffered injuries,” said a police officer.

Sunil Gowli, inspector from Nerul police station said, “The contractor, Santosh Ramkuti had not provided the painters with safety gears for doing the work. Therefore, we have booked him for negligence under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). We are also taking statements from the painters who suffered minor injuries, and the residents of the building to get more details.”

Located near Uran Phata off Sion-Panvel highway, Shailesh Tower is one of the posh residential complexes in Navi Mumbai, which was developed nearly two decades ago. It is just seven kilometers away from Seawoods railway station on the harbour line.