Boy drowns in pit dug for Bullet train project in Thane district; FIR against contractor

Thane, Apr 10 (PTI) A case for alleged negligence has been registered against a contractor after a 12-year-old boy drowned in a pit dug for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project in Bhiwandi town of Thane district, police said on Thursday.

While local NCP MP Suresh Mhatre claimed there were no barricades around the excavated site, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) which is executing the project said adequate safety measures were in place.

The incident took place at Kopar village on Monday evening when the boy fell into an "unprotected excavation site" filled with water, said senior inspector Bharat Kamat of Narpoli police station.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the contractor under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 106 (causing death by negligence), he said, adding no arrest has been made.

The 508-km high speed rail line will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad. As part of the project, a depot is coming up at Bhiwandi, 60 km from Mumbai.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the NHSRCL said the boy "allegedly went for swimming in an excavated site for the construction of pillars", and "adequate safety measures were in place" there.

Strict measures are adopted to ensure the safety of workers, and the NHSRCL and its contractors will fully cooperate with the probe, the corporation added.

"We urge the people living in the vicinity of construction sites not to enter barricaded areas without authorisation," it further said.

On Wednesday, Bhiwandi MP and Nationalist Congress Party leader Suresh Mhatre visited the boy's family.

"This heart-breaking incident is a direct result of the irresponsibility of the company involved in the project. The excavation site had no safety barricades or warning signs at the time of the incident, which directly led to the child's death. It was only after the tragedy that barricades were hastily installed, revealing both negligence and damage control by the company," he alleged, talking to reporters.

"We will not rest until justice is done. Companies must not play with innocent lives in the name of development," the MP said. PTI COR RSY KRK

Source: PTI