Chembur Building Collapse Tragedy: Four Contractors Booked After Worker Dies
In a significant development in the fatal construction site accident in Chembur’s Subhash Nagar, the Chembur police have booked the civil contractor, site engineer, supervisor, and labour contractor in connection with the death of a 55-year-old worker who fell from the sixth floor of an under-construction building.
The case has been registered under Sections 106(1), 125(a), 125(b), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly endangering human life through negligence.
According to the police, the incident occurred on Saturday morning at the Adityaraj Springs redevelopment project, a G+16-storey residential tower coming up in the locality. Six workers had climbed to the sixth-floor parking area to carry out loft wall construction work. A wooden plank had been placed as temporary support.
At around 10 am, the plank reportedly collapsed while all six workers were standing on it, causing them to fall. The protective safety net installed at the site allegedly tore during the fall.
Ramanjenellu Deshpogu, 55, a native of Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, fell directly to the ground and died on the spot. Gunadhar Rai, 22, a resident of Jharkhand, sustained critical injuries and remains admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Four other workers — Kush Rai, 30, Vijay Kumar Maurya, 35, Sandeep Kumar Rai, 27, and Ramesh Kumar Rai, 25 — are undergoing treatment.
Police officials said preliminary findings point to lapses in safety measures at the site. “The investigation is ongoing, and if further negligence is established, more individuals may be added as accused,” an officer said.
The tragic incident has once again raised serious concerns over adherence to safety protocols at redevelopment and high-rise construction projects in Mumbai. Several old buildings in the Subhash Nagar area, including Building No. 36, are currently undergoing redevelopment. Work at the Adityaraj Springs tower had reportedly been completed up to the eighth floor at the time of the accident.
Further investigation is underway.
