VASCO: Four workers were injured on Wednesday afternoon, when a huge scaffolding erected between pier 61-62 at the new Zuari bridge flyover construction site collapsed barely metres from the road along the Verna-Cortalim slope at Santrant.
According to reports, the incident took place at about 12.30 pm, when the scaffolding suddenly came crashing towards the hill and luckily did not fall on the road, where several motorists were travelling at the time, thereby averting a major tragedy.
All four injured workers -- Vikas Vaibhav (32), Dipu Kumar (22), Tulsi Pandey (24) and Suraj Kumar (20) -- were shifted to the GMC hospital and while one of them fractured a leg, the others had a lucky escape with minor injuries.
Though Dilip Buildcon Limited (DBL), the contractor awarded the construction work, claimed that the scaffolding had collapsed due to imbalance and soil displacement from the hillock, eyewitnesses and sources sought to offer another explanation.
They told The Goan that the scaffolding collapsed after the hook of a heavy crane at the site got entangled with the scaffolding while offloading some equipment.
"We saw the scaffolding fall on the crane working at the site and the first thing the employees were heard saying was that the hook got entangled with the scaffolding,” said a source.
“Unaware that the hook had been entangled with the scaffolding, the crane operator moved the crane towards the hill. Had the operator moved it towards the road, there could have been a bigger casualty as the scaffolding would have fallen on the road,” the source added.
Verna police has accused the project site incharge, Atul Pawar (42) of Amrawati-Maharashtra, of failing to take proper precaution and safety measures by negligently erecting the scaffolding, due to which the scaffolding collapsed and caused injuries to four workers from Birla-Zuarinagar, while they working at the construction site, thereby endangering lives and safety of the workers.
The police has registered a case for offences under Sections 336, 338 PC in this connection.
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Buiders blame it on imbalance,
soil displacement from hillock
VASCO: Attributing the collapse of the scaffolding to an “imbalance” and possible "soil displacement from the hillock,” Dilip Buildcon claims to have had an impeccable safety and quality records, having worked since April 2016 with an accident-free record. Issuing a press note, the project manager said the incident had taken place at about 12:30 pm, when "the scaffolding being erected between pier 61-62 of package 3, collapsed because of imbalance."
"Of the four workers injured, one has leg fracture, one has bruises and the other two have minor scratches."
"Thankfully, there has not been loss of blood/casualties. All injured were shifted to the GMC hospital, out of these four, three will be released after first aid treatment," stated the project manager.
"Prima facie, this scaffolding failure is most likely due to soil displacement from the hillock,” the project manager added.
Stating that Dilip Buildcon Limited prides itself on its impeccable safety and quality records, the project manager stated that the company has been working since April 2016 with an accident-free record.
