UP worker killed as 200-year-old Kali temple collapses during demolition
The demolition was part of a Public Works Department’s road expansion project that has been underway for the past four months
The accident occurred while the contractor was using a bulldozer to demolish the old temple to clear the route for the expanded roadway. (Representational image)
One worker was killed and another injured after the dome of a 200-year-old Kali temple allegedly collapsed on them during a demolition drive for a road-widening project in Mughalsarai town of Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district on Friday night.
The demolition was part of a Public Works Department (PWD) project that has been underway for the past four months. However, district administration officials said the demolition was carried out without prior intimation to the local administration or the police.
Advertisement
According to officials, both victims were employees of the private contractor engaged by the PWD. The accident occurred while the contractor was using a bulldozer to demolish the old temple to clear the route for the expanded roadway.
The deceased, Baldev Yadav, 45, was a local resident who was helping with the demolition by holding a guide rope when the temple’s dome suddenly collapsed. The two men were pulled from the debris and rushed to the hospital, where Baldev later died, said an officer.
The demolition was immediately suspended, and police, administration officials and residents rushed to the site to launch rescue operations.
Advertisement
A district administration officer said the temple stood in the alignment of the proposed road and had to be removed to facilitate the work. Before the demolition, a new temple was constructed nearby, and the idols were shifted there a few days ago. A pran pratishtha (consecration) ceremony was also performed recently, after which the old structure was cleared for demolition. The shifting of the temple started after taking approval from the temple committee, said a senior officer.
Chandauli District Magistrate Chandra Mohan Garg said he had summoned PWD officers to ascertain the cause of the accident. Officials said the collapsing dome first struck the bucket of the bulldozer, causing it to deflect before crashing onto Baldev and another man standing nearby. Both were buried under the rubble.
The accident occurred while the contractor was using a bulldozer to demolish the old temple to clear the route for the expanded roadway. (Representational image) 
Share
