Drain repair: 1 worker dead, another critical after wall collapses in Cuttack

A mishap near Bidanasi Chhak in Cuttack has resulted in the death of a worker, leaving another critically injured. The incident occurred during a drain repair work reportedly being carried out by the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as 30-year-old S. Shankari, who was a contractual worker. He belonged to Patapola locality of the city.

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According to sources, five persons were engaged in the work, of which one was a minor boy. The fatal mishap occurred at around 1.30 PM when the two labourers were working.

The disaster struck when a wall suddenly collapsed, trapping the two workers beneath the rubble. One worker, unfortunately, succumbed to the injuries, while the other has been rescued and hospitalised and is receiving urgent medical treatment.

Police are conducting a probe to find out the circumstances leading to the wall collapse. This event has raised concerns regarding the safety protocols on site. Officials from the CMC are yet to release a formal statement in this regard.

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“The work was started 4-5 days ago. Initially, we had opposed it as the wall was in dilapidated condition. However, our advice to take adequate safety measures was not paid any heed. Unfortunately, neither the contractor concerned nor CMC officials have reached the spot yet,” some residents alleged.

Following the caving in of the wall, the movement has completely been disrupted in the locality. We are facing utter difficulty in commuting, the locals added.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the CMC Mayor Subash Singh said, “We have constituted an inquiry committee comprising local executive engineer Bharat Sethi and deputy executive engineer Antaryami Patra, led by CMC Additional Commissioner Kalpataru Behera. The committee will submit its report within a week and action will accordingly be taken.”

“The deceased is survived by four small and dependent kids. Since the committee is being formed, a detailed inquiry should be done and whoever is responsible be punished, which would set an example for others,” Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous said.