Mira Bhayandar: Contractor booked for negligence one month after toddler's death at construction site

More than a month after the incident in which a four-year-old toddler died after being hit by a carelessly kept iron beam at a construction site in Kashimira, the police finally registered an offence of negligence against the owner of the contractual firm on Friday.

Apart from claiming the life of the toddler, the incident caused grievous injuries to another six-year-old child who is recuperating in the hospital. However, despite the severity of the crime, the accused Mahendra Kothari, is yet to be arrested.

According to the police, the incident was reported on 3 September from the construction site of the upcoming Apna Ghar (phase III) project located in the Vinay Nagar area of Kashimira. The deceased toddler-Subho Sudhanshu Das (4), and the injured child-Jayanto Bachhan Das (6), both children of construction workers, were playing at the site when the 10-feet tall iron beam which was kept leaning in a standing position fell on them. They were rushed to a hospital where Subho died while undergoing treatment, and the condition of Jayanto continues to be critical.

Nearly 33 days after the incident, the Kashimira police registered an offence under sections 304-A for causing death by negligence, 337 and 338 for causing grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others of the IPC against Mahendra Kothari who has taken the construction contract under the aegis of his Mira Road-based firm-Kothari Land Developers.

The project belongs to an influential BJP leader in the area. The incident has once again brought to the fore the gross negligence and lackadaisical attitude on the part of builders for not ensuring the safety of workers who work on the high-rises and their family members who stay at transit huts at the construction sites.