CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Five workers, sleeping in a makeshift tin shed near a bridge construction site, were buried alive after a tipper driver unloaded tonnes of sand on the shed in Pasodi Shivar of Jalna’s Jafrabad taluka. A 13-year-old was rescued from under the sand.
Local residents alleged that the tipper driver was carrying illegally mined sand and dumping the same late at night to avoid detection. They also blamed the contractor of causing the accident as he allegedly wanted to source the sand illegally to cut costs.
The incident occurred at 3.30am on Saturday. A mound of sand collapsed onto the tin shed where the workers were staying, burying six people. Five people suffocated and died, while a 13-year-old was rescued.
Almost 18 hours later, the Jafrabad police registered an FIR against three men — the driver and the owner of the tipper, and the govt contractor on whose site the illegal sand was being dumped. They arrested the 34-year-old driver, Santosh Kolhe, from Jafrabad.
Superintendent of police Ajaykumar Bansal said an FIR against the accused trio has been registered, and efforts are being made to take the case to its logical end. The FIR was registered on the basis of the complaint lodged by Kiran Dahiskar, a 29-year-old from Shivna in Sillod tehsil.
Inspector Pratap Ingle said he was not aware if the sand being dumped at the site was legally or illegally mined. He justified the delay in registering the FIR claiming the family members of the victims were busy with the last rites. “The contractor told us that these workers and their families have been associated with him for over two decades. We are still trying to find out when they came here for work and also if all the safety measures were taken at the construction site,” he said.
According to the local residents, the workers, who were working on a bridge nearby, were sleeping in a tin shed close to the construction site. They saiud the tipper driver carelessly unloaded the sand directly onto the shed. The sudden weight caused the structure to collapse and six people were buried. While a 13-year-old girl was pulled out alive by villagers who rushed to the scene, five other workers suffocated.
The deceased have been identified as Ganesh Kashinath Dhanvai (50) and Bhushan Ganesh Dhanvai (17) from Gollegav in Silod tehsil of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; Rajendra Dagduba Wagha (40), from Dahid in Buldhana, Sunil Sapkal (20), from Padmavati in Bhokardan, Jalna, and Supadu Aher (38), from Tondapur in Jamner, Jalgaon. All the victims were relatives working together on the bridge construction project.
The incident sparked outrage among people, who blame the contractor, Ravindra Anand, for negligence. It is alleged that the contractor was illegally sourcing sand at night to cut costs. Villagers said the tipper driver fled the scene, leaving the victims trapped under the sand. A woman sleeping in another room of the shed raised an alarm, prompting people nearby to rush to the site and attempt a rescue. However, their efforts could only save the young girl.
Taking cognisance of the incident, the district administration has launched a parallel probe into the incident.
The bodies of the deceased were sent to a Jafrabad-based state health facility for autopsies. Later, they were handed over to family members. Police said the last rites were performed in the deceased people’s respective hometowns on Saturday evening.