Contractors booked for negligence in Film City wall collapse

Two days after a wall collapsed in a building inside Film City, Goregaon East, resulting in the deaths of two labourers, contractors Hakimuddin Shamshuddin Khan and Sirajuddin Malik have been booked by the Aarey Sub police on Monday

Mumbai: Two days after a wall collapsed in a building inside Film City, Goregaon East, resulting in the deaths of two labourers, contractors Hakimuddin Shamshuddin Khan and Sirajuddin Malik have been booked by the Aarey Sub police on Monday. Santu Mandal and Jaidev Pralhad Biswas were killed, while another labourer, Vikram Mandal, suffered severe injuries.

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The contractors, working as project managers, received a contract from DNEG Media Pvt Ltd and Spectrum Infrastructure to construct the wall, which reportedly lacked the necessary permission from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The police have filed charges under sections 304A (causing death due to negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt due to a rash or negligent act) of the Indian Penal Code.

The police officers said that the incident was reported by the fire brigade at around 6:30pm on Saturday. The retaining wall, which was completed on February 22, was that of an under-renovation studio inside Film City. On Saturday when the labourers were removing the plywood and iron rods lying around, the wall collapsed due to the pressure of the heap of soil behind it.

BMC officials said that a commencement certificate was not granted and only plans for internal addition or alteration were approved. Film City, being a government organisation, has its own supervisory team, but no permission had been granted by BMC to construct the wall, they added.

A police officer from Aarey Sub police station said, “We have registered an FIR and are investigating the case to verify whether permissions were granted to construct the wall and whether adequate measures were taken during and after construction.”