BMC Orders VJTI Probe Into Safety Lapses After Two Fatal Accidents At Construction Sites; Contractor Faces Action

Mumbai: Two fatal incidents at BMC construction sites have raised serious concerns over repeated lapses in construction safety standards, pointing to possible negligence in enforcement and oversight. Taking serious note of the matter, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) to conduct a detailed investigation into possible breaches of safety protocols at the Dahisar–Bhayander Link Road project site. Based on the findings of the probe, action will be initiated against the contractor responsible for the project.

Additional Municipal Commissioner calls incident unfortunate and serious

Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects), said, “It is an unfortunate incident and we have taken a serious note of it. We have asked VJTI to appoint a team of experts who will examine whether there were any lapses in safety protocols at the site. The team is expected to visit the site within the next two days.” In a related incident on April 29, Police Constable Santosh Gopal Chavan (48) died after being struck by a portion of a piling rig near the Tata Power House junction while returning to Nerul after completing duty in Chembur. The rig was part of flyover construction work at the Sion–Panvel Highway T-junction, under a broader project to improve connectivity with the Ghatkopar–Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR). Following that incident, the BMC had imposed a penalty of Rs. 1 crore on the contractor.

Bangar said that, "Precautions will be taken at all site to avoid such incidents in future. For which an expert agency will be appointed who will check if the standard operating procedures on coastal road site needs to be reverified." The construction site and the Bhayander has been shut after the incident and will be opened only after the precautions ensured at the site said an official. The BMC has undertaken the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (North), a Rs. 16,621 crore, 20-km corridor between Versova and Dahisar. In addition, an elevated road from Dahisar to Bhayandar, estimated at Rs. 3,304 crore, is slated for completion by December 2028.

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