Mumbai: Two separate incidents of construction workers falling to their deaths have been reported in Mumbai, prompting police to file cases against contractors and developers for negligence in ensuring safety measures.
Goregaon West Incident
In the first incident, a 29-year-old man named Saumya Behra, a native of Odisha, fell from the 18th floor of an under-construction building on SV Road in Goregaon West on the morning of May 6. He was rushed to Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari, where doctors declared him dead. Police recorded the statement of his roommate and inspected the 18th floor, finding that the balcony lacked any safety wall or window railings. Consequently, an FIR was registered against the contractor, Jitendra Das, and the developer for failing to provide precautionary measures.
Mazgaon Incident
In another case, a 32-year-old labourer, Pranab Luthu Mal, died after falling from the fifth floor to the fourth floor of an under-construction building in Mazgaon on Saturday evening. Another labourer, Habib Shah, 21, was injured in the same incident. Shah, a native of West Bengal, told police that he and Mal were working on the fifth floor when they slipped and fell. Although they were wearing helmets, they were not provided with safety belts or other protective gear. Both were taken to JJ Hospital, where Mal was declared dead. The police have booked supervisor Zubair Malpekar, 38, and construction manager Farooque Thim for negligence causing death. An investigation is ongoing.
