MMRDA penalises contractor, consultant for labourer’s death

Both companies – engaged for construction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector – had tried to cover up the incident

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has penalised infrastructure firm J Kumar Infraprojects and consultant Assystem STUP ₹1 crore and ₹25 lakh respectively for Tuesday’s mishap which led to the death of a worker.

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Both companies – engaged for construction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector – had tried to cover up the incident by keeping the authorities under the dark, MMRDA officials told Hindustan Times.

The fatal accident occurred on AD Road, where construction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector is underway, at around 12.15am on Tuesday. A pier steel shutter which was being shifted using a hydra crane hit 19-year-old Ravi Giri, who was working at the site, leaving him severely injured. Giri was rushed to KEM Hospital in Parel, but was declared dead on arrival for medical assistance. However, he was declared dead after the doctors attended him.

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MMRDA officials said that as per the authority’s safety standard operating procedures, all contractors and project management consultants are mandatorily required to ensure adherence to safety norms as well as immediate reporting of any accident at project sites.

“However, in the case of Tuesday’s accident, we learnt about the incident more than 20 hours later when we received calls from journalists,” an MMRDA official said.

Explaining the basis for the fines levied by the MMRDA, officials said preliminary findings indicated gross negligence on the part of the contractor in maintaining prescribed safety standards and complying with mandatory incident reporting obligations, whereas the consultant had failed to ensure safety supervision, monitoring and immediate escalation of incidents.

“Strict action has been initiated to reinforce accountability and ensure that such failures are not repeated,” the MMRDA official quoted earlier said.

The police registered a case under section 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against crane operator Mohammad Anas Shaikh and supervisor Anil Giri, who was allegedly absent at the site at the time of the incident.

J Kumar Infraprojects and Assystem STUP did not respond to queries from Hindustan Times regarding the mishap and the penalty.