Ghaziabad shuttering crash: FIR against contractor firm after 8 hurt

Police took cognizance and have registered an FIR against two officials of the construction company (JSP projects) for negligent acts and also acts causing grievous hurt as eight workers got injured

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad police have registered a first information report (FIR) against a contractor firm’s officials, taking cognizance of a shuttering collapse incident in Muradnagar that left eight construction workers injured after falling from an overhead tank at Ukhlarsi cremation ground on Sunday morning.

The tank was being built as part of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’, a central government scheme to provide tap water to every rural house, when some of the workers fell off from about 20 metres high platform. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The tank was being built as part of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’, a central government scheme to provide tap water to every rural house, when some of the workers fell off from about 20 metres high platform.

The venue, incidentally is the same site where 24 people died after a roof collapse on January 3, 2021.

“Police took cognizance and have registered an FIR against two officials of the construction company (JSP projects) for negligent acts and also acts causing grievous hurt as eight workers got injured. Police are investigating the incident while the administration has also ordered an inquiry,” said assistant commissioner of police (Masuri/Muradnagar circle) Siddharth Gautam.

The FIR is lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings etc.), 125(a) (acts that endanger human life or personal safety due to negligence or recklessness) and 125(b) (rash and negligent acts causing grievous hurt) at Muradnagar police station on Sunday.

Sanjeev Kumar Goyal, director, construction firm JSP projects, said, “The overhead tank is getting constructed as part of a water-supply project. We have already completed 95% of work for the tank, and the shuttering got disturbed when it was getting dismantled. The safety gears etc, were provided to workers and already at the site. There is no issue about the structure of the water tank,” Goyal added.

“Total of 14 workers were taking up construction of the water tank, and six of them were found safe. The contractors had taken up the workers via tenders from the Government of India for supply of water to households. The construction was taken up in a negligent manner without adhering to laid-down norms and also without taking up safety arrangements,” the FIR registered by the police said.

Meanwhile, the district administration officials said that a probe into the incident is underway and a report has been sought within three days.

“We have asked the inquiry committee to identify the reasons behind the incident, and also to check the structure of the overhead tank… The incident happened as the shuttering used by workers collapsed. Prima facie, this has not resulted due to any structural issues related to the overhead tank,” said district magistrate Deepak Meena.

“For now, we have suspended the construction work at the site pending inquiry,” the DM added.

The injured were taken to the Sanjay Nagar combined district hospital. One of them was referred to Delhi. Police said they were stable.

“We were working at a height of about 20 metres, applying plaster on the top portion of the water tank. We were not wearing any safety gear. It was bamboo-based shuttering that collapsed. I suffered injuries on my head and hands,” Dinesh Shakya, one of the injured workers, originally from Budaun, said on Sunday.