Construction agencies overlook safety norms

The Northern Railways, which is building the over-bridge, has blamed the woman for her death. Though she was trespassing on a blocked construction site, the lack of supervision and safety measures on such sites are equally to blame.

The Northern Railways, which is building the over-bridge, has blamed the woman for her death. Though she was trespassing on a blocked construction site, the lack of supervision and safety measures on such sites are equally to blame.

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Norms dictate several safety measures for construction sites, but these are hardly implemented. Most construction sites do not have security marshals and barricades to stop trespassers. This excludes Metro construction sites.

In a recent case, an under-construction parking lot of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in Pitampura collapsed. The site was not barricaded. Though no one was injured as the markets were closed, there could have been several casualties had it happened during the day.

Only the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which has been undertaking extensive construction work in the city for a decade, has an unblemished record, other than the Zamrudpur collapse.

"The DMRC follows all international safety norms for workers as well as road users. It is mandatory for workers to wear protective gear such as helmets and safety shoes. It is a must for DMRC to put barricades around the site. We also have several safety wings to look after all safety related issues at the site. To prevent trespassing, we place marshals at all active sites," said a DMRC officer.

Road users also need to be sensitised on how trespassing such sites can be dangerous. "Despite all precautions and safety measures, accidents still occur at construction sites - not only in India, but worldwide. Our efforts are to minimise such occurrences, but people also need to be careful," said Anuj Dayal, chief spokesperson, DMRC.