'Residential complex builders violated safety norms'

The NDRF team is at the accident spot for rescue operations. Pic/Pune Fire Brigade/AFP

The labour department of Pune division has stopped the construction of a residential complex in Kondhwa area after 15 labourers were killed when a compound wall collapsed inside a labour camp. The builder has been found in violation of safety and labour norms, said an official.

Labour department official D D Pawar passed the order on Saturday night after officers visited the site. "Prima facie it seems the developers of the Royal Exotica project and their partners did not follow labour law norms which requires the enrollment of the labourers after which license is issued along with insurance. The safety and security measures were also not taken into consideration," Pawar said.

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"The project will not begin until the developers take adequate safety measures for the labourers," he said. The police produced builders Vivek Sunil Agarwal, 21 and his brother Vipul, 21 before a court on Sunday and were remanded to police custody till July 2. They have been booked for negligence.

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Fifteen people, including two women and four children, died when the compound wall fell on the shanties in the labour camp near Alcon Stylus society around 1:40 am on Saturday.
Chotelal Sahani, one of the survivors, alleged that they had informed the contractor and the builders a month ago that the area was prone to accidents. "The builder had promised to shift us to a different location in a week, however it never happened," Sahani said.

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