At least 17 people, including five site engineers and 12 workers, were killed after a girder machine collapsed on them during construction of the third phase of the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Thane district in the early hours of August 1.
According to officials, the incident took place at around 1 a.m. at Khutadi Sarlambe village in Shahapur thesil. Three were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital for immediate medical assistance. The deceased bodies were shifted to Shahapur government hospital for an autopsy.
Thane is the political turf of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who represents the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency in the district. Mr. Shinde’s close confidant and Minister Dadaji Bhuse visited the spot and took stock of the situation. He expressed concerns that there might be more people trapped under the debris.
The search and rescue teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with fire brigade personnel, police, and locals were engaged in rescue operation.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a probe into the accident and announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh to the next of kin of each victim. “What happened is very tragic and our government is on spot. A Swiss company was working here. A detailed probe is being ordered,” he said. Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar also offered their condolences and said rescue operations are being carried out on a war footing.
The gantry crane is used in bridge construction and to install precast box girders in highways and other mega construction projects, including railways.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be in Pune on Tuesday to receive the Lokmanya Tilak National award, offered his condolences and announced a compensation of ₹2 lakh each to the families of deceased.
“Pained by the tragic mishap in Shahapur, Maharashtra. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are injured. NDRF and local administration are working at the site of the mishap and all possible measures are being taken to ensure proper assistance to those affected,” he said, adding that the injured would be given ₹50,000.
Said to be the brainchild of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who represents the Nagpur South West Assembly constituency, the Samruddhi Mahamarg, named Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur.
So far, as many as 88 people have lost their lives in road accidents in the last six months on Samruddhi Expressway, including 25 last month as a private bus caught fire after hitting a divider.
