Bengaluru: A daily wage worker died on Wednesday while he was digging a stormwater drain in Bengaluru’s RR Nagar. The accident occured at around 3 pm when Madivalappa and a few others had gone to dig a storm water drain near Padmavati Meenakshi Kalyana Mantapa on part of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).
The workers were contracted to connect an underground sewage pipe. But during the work, a section of the wall collapsed and trapped six of the workers. When this happened the rest of them alerted the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Personnel who rushed to the spot to rescue the men buried. while the others could escape, one Madivalappa died as his body was recovered at around 8 pm.
The 26-year-old Madivalappa had previously migrated Kalaburgi to Bengaluru two years ago to work with his current contractor while his wife worked in a garment factory who did not know that her husband was working for the BWSSB as a labourer.
Nithyananda Kumar, the BWSSB Chief Engineer has promised to conduct investigations so as to find the cause of death and also hinted that there were no safety precautions in place which could have led to the cave-in.
Mayor Gambabike Mallikarjun of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike who had rushed to the scene has promised the family of the deceased with a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs.
An FIR has also been lodged under the Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (Death by Negligence) at the RR Nagar police station with police stating that the engineers respomnsible for the accident would be booked.
