A man working on construction at the Pattanagere metro station near Kengeri in Bengaluru fell to his death on Friday morning, allegedly due to negligence. The man was conducting chipping work on the elevator shaft when he fell from a height.
According to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Yerappa, the victim was a 56-year-old skilled worker and a native of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. He worked for Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Engineering and Construction Company Limited, a multinational construction company.
Yerappa was working on the concourse floor, reportedly nearly eight metres above the ground, at the escalator shaft of the station when he fell to the ground around 11 am on February 28. He was taken to a nearby private hospital and later shifted to Victoria hospital around 11.45 am. He was declared brought dead at the hospital.
According to reports, he had a jackhammer in hand and crashed through the safety net provided below.
A case has been registered with the Kengeri Police under Section 304A (Causing death by negligence). The Kengeri police said that four people from the contractor company have been arrested, and were released on bail.
Sources told TNM that the contract worker was not given adequate safety training or equipment, such as a harness or belt.
This follows a series of accidents on Metro construction sites around the city. The Times of India reported that two other fatal fall accidents occurred in Electronic City, and Kanakapura main road. Another vehicular accidental death was reported in Cantonment.
Following this, the BMRCL said that they were planning to have a dedicated safety cell at all its sites, TOI reported.