2019-09-01 : Retaining (Toe) wall collapsed at Earth Sciences building, three workers died one critically injured

(Editor's Note: Some names removed from the web version.)

Retaining (Toe) wall collapsed at Earth Sciences building, three workers died one critically injured

-A Preliminary Report by Hamara Manch

Today at 3.15 pm a two-brick (9 inch) retaining wall, of around 60 feet length and fifteen feet height at the basement of the under-construction Earth Sciences building collapsed. The wall was constructed one and a half month ago to restrict the mud flow during rainfall. The construction tender was given to Jaiprakash & Sons Construction Company from Dehradun. Around 30-35 workers were present at the site at the time of accident. Four workers, two women and two men, who were working near the foot of the wall, got buried under the fallen wall.

The wall was propped up without any pillar at the edge or the middle. Moreover as one of the workers reported, the material used for constructing the ‘temporary wall’, was of sub-standard quality. The incessant rainfall during the last two weeks had weakened the foundation of the wall. Also, there are questions about the lack of appropriate safety gears used by the workers. There was no safety officer at the construction site. During evacuation, the safety officer from another contractor was called to search for the buried workers.

 Among the deceased, Pinky (female, 25), Mani Mai (female, 40), Rubin (male, 22) were unskilled workers from Malda district of West Bengal. Pavitra Das (male, 36), a mason was also from the same place. Within 15- 20 minutes after the incident two ambulances along with SIS and local police reached the site to take the workers first to the Institute Health Centre, where they were immediately referred to Hallet the main government hospital. Upon reaching the hospital, Pinky, Mani and Rubin were declared ‘brought dead’, and deposited in the mortuary for autopsy scheduled for tomorrow morning. Whereas Pavitra was referred for CT scan as he had received severe head injury. The CT scan report declared no severe internal injury. But external ruptures required multiple stitches. Pavitra was in sense and talking to two other workers who were attending to him. According to the X-ray report, his left shoulder has got fractured and dislocated, left pelvic bone and right ankle were also broken. He has received bruises and deep cuts all over the body. After plastering of the broken limbs, Pravitra was put on ventilation system as he reported respiratory/breathing problem. The doctors prescribed a surgery of left shoulder and left pelvic bone after the healing of wounds. The surgery would cost around fifty thousand and take a month long time to recover. The contractor’s men present at the hospital agreed to bear all the cost of the treatment. Pavitra’s wife and son also work inside the campus, probably at different construction sites. Pavitra’s wife has been informed about the incident.

The contractor has deployed two staff members in the hospital to attend to  Pavitra. No official from IITK were present in the hospital. 

The unskilled workers are paid three-four thousand rupees a month in addition to food expenses. All the workers of Jaiprakash & Sons live in  the labour hutment near Naramau.

Date: 1st August, 2019, IIT Kanpur

The accident site: