TWO MEN who were part of the sub-contractor firm, responsible for construction of the stretch of the Metro rail project where a parapet collapsed killing one person on February 14, have claimed that the welder had cut the hooks of the parapet before concretisation, despite specific instructions.
Alpeshbhai Patel, a Gujarat-based businessman, running the firm Milan Road Buildtech, and its technical director, Ganesh Gholap, have filed anticipatory bail applications before the sessions court. The court on Saturday heard arguments on their pleas and will hear the police’s response on Wednesday. Another person from a consultancy firm, T Sai Suresh Kumar, has also filed a similar plea.
On February 14, the parapet fell on the road in Mulund, killing one and injuring three. Patel and Gholap in their pleas submitted by lawyer Suvarna Avhad-Vast have said that they are not in ‘direct connection’ with the team working on the site and have no role to play in the ‘fieldwork going on at the site’. Patel said he was responsible for business development of the firm, which has been a sub-contractor on the project since 2022, and has completed 82 per cent of the work, unlike the previous contractor, who had completed only 18 per cent of the work even after the stipulated completion of the project date in 2022.
The pleas state that on February 12, a concrete parapet was fixed with a turnbuckle. While authorities say that the concretisation was not done properly, the pleas claim that the supervisor had specifically instructed the welder to cut the hooks only of those parapets which were concretised.
“The applicants submit that despite having specific instructions to not touch the hooks of precast parapet, the welder Ramashish Yadav cut the hooks due to which the parapet fell on the road below, on the autorickshaw and the car, causing the serious accident,” the plea said, adding that the welder escaped from the spot, while the supervisor and others linked to the firm, assisted the victims. The police are on the lookout for Yadav, while five linked to Milan Buildtech and another firm, DB Hill LBG are arrested so far.
The police have opposed their pleas stating that they want to investigate into the role of the accused, and that as heads of the firm, the accused are responsible for the safety measures undertaken. The police also submitted that Patel and Gholap were given notices to appear before them on February 16 but they had not done so, due to which they have apprehensions that they will not cooperate with the probe.
The two also said that they are ready to provide all the documents required in the probe and that they have paid compensation to the deceased victim’s wife of Rs 24.5 lakh, and have decided to bear the costs towards the medical expenses of the injured victims.
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The plea has attached with it an undertaking by deceased victim, Ramdhani Yadav’s wife. The undertaking received says that the amount was received from Milan Buildtech as a full and final compensation and settlement of all claims and she or her legal heirs will not raise any further claim, dispute, or demand from company or any authority.
Sadaf Modak is a distinguished Legal Correspondent based in Mumbai whose work demonstrates exceptional Expertise and Authority in covering the intricacies of the judicial and correctional systems. Reporting for The Indian Express, she is a highly Trustworthy source for in-depth coverage of courtroom proceedings and human rights issues.
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