BENGALURU: 63-year-old retired commissioner of Urban Development Authority from Gadag, Vijay Kumar G Sulakhe, was in for a shock. Little did he know the traffic jam that he was stuck in on Outer Ring Road in HBR Layout was caused due the under- construction pillar falling and claiming the life of his daughter-in-law and his 2.6-year-old grandson.
Now the justifiably angry and grief-stricken sexagenarian is baying for the blood of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) over the alleged negligence that claimed the life of his two family members. “Legal measures will be taken against the BMRCL to ensure that no family undergoes the trauma which we are going through,” he roared, after the bodies of his daughter-in law Tejaswini Sulakhe and grandson Vihaan were moved for autopsy.
He said the mishap was definitely due to poor work quality and lack of safety measures at the Metro construction site. “The government should take note of it. My family is suffering due to the negligence of someone else. Vihaan was attached to me just as much as his twin sister Vismita,” he said.
BMRCL announces Rs 20L relief to kin of victims
Work will be stopped for two days on this stretch. “The height of the structure was a reason for it to lose balance. We will go back to the drawing board and redesign such tall structures,” he said. This staging process is carried out before creating a mould with concrete for the pillar to be readied on it. A senior government official familiar with the works admitted there was negligence on the part of the contractor and BMRCL. “A total of 1,100 pillars dot the Airport Line. How come only the structure of this pillar swayed and caused such fatalities.
Negligence has definitely occurred here,” he said. Billing it as “very unfortunate”, Anjum Parwez announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the deceased. “We will bear hospital expenses and any other support the family wants. This is justa to ken gesture and we will never be able to compensate the family for the loss,” he said. The Govindapura police have registered a case against the site engineers, contractors, site-in-charge and BMRCL officials for the incident.
FIRs have been registered under sections IPC 304A (death by negligence), IPC 336 (Act endangering the life of personal safety of others), IPC 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and IPC 427 (mischief causing damage to the tune of Rs 50).
RS 10L EX-GRATIA FROM CM’S RELIEF FUN
Bengaluru: CM Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday announced an ex-gratia of `10 lakh from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the family of the deceased in the Metro pillar collapse tragedy on in HBR Layout area. Speaking to mediapersons during his visit to Hubballi ahead of the PM’s visit on January 12, he said: “Details of the mishap have been sought. It’s unfortunate. Orders have been given to launch a probe into the cause of the accide