CHENNAI: A BE graduate who started working as a construction labourer because he could not get a job for a year was killed on Wednesday as prefabricated slabs collapsed at a construction site of an upcoming restaurant at East Spur Tank Road at Chetpet. He was one of two killed in the mishap.
Gunasekaran, 23, had completed BE in Electronics and Communication Engineering from EGS Pillay Engineering College at Nagapattinam last September, when he cleared all his arrears. He came to Chennai only in March to attend interviews and started working at the construction site along with his uncle J Senthil Kumar.
“I was working as an electrician at GPA construction agency and I thought it would be good for him to come to Chennai and search for a job here. He started working with me in the construction site and even recently attended an interview in a software company at Pallavaram,” said Senthil Kumar, who was waiting at KMC Hospital where Gunasekaran’s body was taken for autopsy.
He had advised Gunasekaran to come to Chennai, since the latter was unable to get a job in Tiruvarur. But on Wednesday, he was feeling guilty. Senthil Kumar was saved because he was away for lunch.
The second victim was Pandala Raja (22) of Ariyalur, who was working as a construction labourer for a year. Two others were injured.
The tragedy occurred around 4pm when a total of 43 workers were at the construction site. A group of them was trying to put together a set of prefabricated slabs in the three-storeyed building.
“The slab suddenly collapsed once it was placed, so clearly the base was not secure,” said Appanasamy, a supervisor. He claimed that a loose screw used to fasten slabs together could have caused the accident. The workers got trapped beneath the huge slabs. “We were able to rescue a few but the bodies were recovered by the fire department,” he said.
Shahul Hameed, joint director of Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, said it will be verified whether proper permits for the three-storey building, which will house a restaurant, had been obtained. The slabs were to be fixed on the third floor when they suddenly collapsed and Gunasekaran was said to be on the top floor. He was thrown down and buried under the debris. As the ambulance was taking time to reach, a neighbour took him in her car to KMCH where he died.
S Arul (22) from Villupuram sustained severe head injury and was admitted at the ICU in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and P Mani (23) from Cuddalore who suffered right leg fracture and a broken jaw was at KMC.
Venkatesan, who was working as supervisor at the site, told Express, “There were a total of 43 workers at the site. Four of them were involved in placing the slabs.”
“The construction of a shopping complex was taken charge by two private construction agencies. They received permission for four floors (stilt + three floors as per display at the site) from the CMDA for constructing a new method called ‘free-cost’ in which ready-made slabs and pillars are used,” said a revenue department officer at the spot. When Express visited the site it found that none of the workers were wearing hard hats and lead-lined boots, compulsory at construction sites. Most of the workers are from central India.
“A case should be filed against the company for proper compensation and we will also file a petition in a court on Thursday,” said Gunasekaran’s brother Rajesh. (With inputs from Samuel Merigala)