Criminal action sought against contractor over road deaths

THE GOAN NETWORK

PANAJI:

The Opposition Congress on Tuesday demanded immediate criminal action against M Venkat Rao Infra Projects Pvt Ltd, including members of its BoD and its managing director, alleging that the road contractor is criminally liable for repeated fatalities due to negligence at its work sites in Goa.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar alongwith South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes and other party functionaries submitted a detailed memorandum to Goa Director General of Police, Alok Kumar,  demanding registration of an FIR.

The memorandum cites two recent tragic deaths caused by the company’s reckless disregard for safety standards -- Swapnil Chindarkar, an Electricity Department staffer, who died in March at the MVR construction site in Dabolim after a scaffolding collapsed and Maruti Jadhav who died last week in a similar incident at another MVR site. 

In the memo, the party has demanded registration of an FIR under sections 302, 304A, 336, 337, 338, and 287 of the Indian Penal Code along with provisions of the Factories Act, 1948 and the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996.

It has also demanded that work on MVR's sites in Goa be halted until a safety audit is done.

Two more instances of alleged endangering public safety by the same contractor -- damage to a major fuel pipeline from Mormugao Port to Zuari IAV Pvt Ltd in January and destruction of a major water pipeline at MES Junction in April -- were also cited in the memorandum.

“This company has repeatedly endangered Goan lives with absolute impunity. It is high time the law takes its course. We demand exemplary action to ensure justice for the families who lost their loved ones and to prevent further tragedies,” Patkar said.

The memorandum also demands a comprehensive investigation into all deaths at MVR Infra sites in Goa over the past decade and appropriate compensation for the families of the victims.