Nagpada incident: Day after 4 workers died in water tank, 2 contractors held; notice to developer, architect

Senior police inspector Sanjay Kate of JJ Marg police station said, “The two contractors did not take safety precaution despite knowing that the tank has been shut for several years. We are probing further to ascertain the mandated protocol that the duo had to follow while carrying out the work.”

Earlier, the BMC served notice to the architect and developer of the project. “We (BMC) issued them work permits before the construction… We have asked them to give us an explanation for the entire incident in writing. Our officers have carried out site visits and we will ascertain the written statement with our findings, based on which the next call of action will be taken,” said a civic official from the Building Proposal (BP) department.

The incident took place in Nagpada’s Mint Road locality. Subsequently, the labourers were rescued from the water tank and taken to JJ Hospital, where they were declared dead. The cause of death was stated as exposure to toxic fumes.

Suresh Sagar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, told The Indian Express on Sunday that the water tank was in the basement of the under-construction building and some plywood material got trapped there. “One of the workers went to unclog the tank when he suffocated. Following this, four others went in to rescue him. All of them suffocated and were later brought out by the Mumbai Fire Brigade,” he said.

An official from the local ward office stated, “Even for construction sites, the BMC has precautionary guidelines that need to be followed. We have passed on our observations to the BP department, which will take the next course of action.”