Construction site death: Kochi panchayat approaches Cusat seeking expert opinion
KOCHI : A day after three migrant labourers died after a portion of land caved in at a construction site at Peppathy in Piravom, the Edakkattuvayal panchayat has decided to approach the civil engineering wing of Cusat seeking expert opinion to introduce more safety measures at the site.
“The hill was levelled more than 17 years ago, and no new excavations happened at the site. But the land caved in unexpectedly, resulting in a tragedy. There was no security lapse as the permission was given based on safety reports. The fire and rescue department had also given an NOC based on that. Since there is a panchayat road above the land that caved in, we have to prevent further landslide. So we decided to approach Cusat for expert suggestions,” said K R Jayakumar, president, Edakkattuvayal panchayat.
He said the plan submitted by the building owner was fool-proof, as the proposed wall was designed to be constructed connecting with the main building structure. “Since the retaining wall was to be constructed by connecting it with the main building, it was expected to prevent landslide. The accident happened when the construction of the same was going on,” Jayakumar added.
The deceased are Sukumar Ghosh, 45, Gour Mondal, 29, and Subradha Kirthaniya, 37. Five workers at the site had a narrow escape. The accident occurred around 5.30pm on Wednesday when a huge portion of the land caved in on the workers while they were undertaking construction activities of a shopping complex in a 30-ft-deep dug-up area.
Though the fire and rescue officers recovered Sukumar’s body within 15 minutes after reaching the spot, they took nearly three hours to recover the bodies of Mondal and Kirthaniya.
The autopsy of the deceased was completed at Ernakulam Medical College, and the bodies were handed over to the family members.