Lack of safety measures,loose soil to blame?

The site depicts the callousness with which the construction work was being carried out.

While work is on to build a double-storey basement,no measures have been taken to ensure that the soil stays in place.

According to a worker at the site,there have been instances in the past where the loose soil kept falling

— though in smaller quantities.

On Thursday,however,it turned out to be different story as a large amount of soil fell,burying the two labourers. The site is quite close to the railway overbridge in the area.

A preliminary look at the site shows that digging was being carried out too close to the adjoining plot,said an official.

In places where a double-storey basement is constructed,a suitable distance needs to be maintained — which seemed to be missing. He added that basic amenities that a worker needs were also missing at the site. There was a need to test the bearing capacity of the soil and also look into structural faults,if any,he official said.

Taking a note of the condition of the site,the police have decided to shoot the video of the entire area in order to highlight the lapses.

Work was being carried out at the site without looking into issues like security of the workers,said a police officer.

UT Deputy Commissioner Brijendra Singh has sought details of the rules and regulations followed in the adjoining states in case of similar projects as the UT Administration does not have adequate guidelines for the same.

Another aspect that will be looked into is whether the Railways is aware that such kind of construction is taking place adjoining the rail crossing.

“With construction activities picking up pace in the city,there is s need to come up with a specific set of guidelines,” said ADC M L Sharma.

In a similar incident on March 31,a wall had collapsed at a under-construction site,where a double-storey basement was being built. Four labourers were killed and seven sustained injuries.

Here too,the basement had been dug very deep without following safety measures and the wall collapsed due to the weight of the soil and debris that fell on it.

The UT Administration had ordered an inquiry into the incident. The report is likely to be finalised in the coming week.