Mishaps at Metro sites in Mumbai: MMRDA to frame policy in 15 days

Agency will also create a labour welfare fund through collecting penalties from contractors in case of injuries, reporting accidents late or suppressing them

Owing to a spate of accidents, one of which even claimed a life at the metro construction sites in the city, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to fix a policy for labour welfare. The policy, which will fix a steady compensation in case of an injury or death of a labourer on site, is expected to be ready in 15 days, officials said.

There has been a spate of mishaps at the metro construction sites in Mumbai, with one even leading to the death of a person. (HT FILE)

UPS Madan, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA said, “In addition to the insurance, we want to fix the amount of compensation that will be provided to the worker in case of an accident on site. The compensation will depend on the nature of the injury and we intend to fix the policy in the next 15 days.”

MMRDA will also create a labour welfare fund through collecting penalties from contractors in case of injuries, reporting accidents late or willfully suppressing them. The decision was taken in the 145th authority meeting held by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday. “This (policy) is not only to press contractors to take adequate safety measures during the construction but also to take care of the workers and their family members by compensating them in case of any mishaps,” Madan added.

The city is at present witnessing the construction of three metro corridors. MMRDA will soon initiate the construction of two more corridors. The heavy machinery on sites makes it imperative for contractors to maintain high-level safety standards.

In November 2017, a 21-year-old labourer died after a part of crane hit his head at the Metro-7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) construction site. The contractor, Simplex Infrastructure Limited, was asked to pay a compensation of Rs9 lakh to the victim’s family. The same month, a piling rig being used for the construction work of the Mumbai Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) tilted towards the iconic Maratha Mandir at Mumbai Central. No casualties were reported.

In October the same year, metal rods used to support a pier collapsed on the service road. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the incident. MMRDA had then slapped a fine of Rs5 lakh on the contractor J Kumar Infraprojects Limited for the accident.