The auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya turned out to be a tragic one for a 15-year-old boy hailing from Chittapur in Gulbarga on Friday.
He was killed when part of an under-construction building wall caved in at Sadashivanagara 10th Main and buried him beneath mud and debris.
Three others were injured.
The under-construction building is reportedly owned by former chief minister N. Dharam Singh. A three-storey structure was being built, along with a swimming pool. The incident occurred around 4 pm. The deceased has been identified as Sharana Basappa. The injured are: Ningappa (22), Swamy (37) and Amaresh (19).
It took nearly two hours for the fire and emergency personnel to extricate Basappa’s body from the collapsed pile of earth.
The injured were immediately rushed to M. S. Ramaiah hospital. One of them, Swamy, fractured his leg while two others were treated for injuries and are out of danger, said Dr Shivaprasad, corporator of the area.
The accident occurred due to the negligence of the contractor, he alleged. He did not take precautionary measures while digging deeper than three meters, he said.
The body of the boy has been shifted to the mortuary at M. S. Ramaiah Hospital for an autopsy, after which the body will be sent to his native place for cremation.
The BBMP is verifying if any compensation could be given or if the contractor could be made to pay the penalty for his negligence, Dr Shivaprasad said.
According to the working plan found in a shed, the house was being built for the three sons of Mr Singh. The ground floor for Maninder Singh, the second floor for Ajay Singh and Shwetha Singh and the third floor for Vijay Singh and Sonal Singh.
The building was being constructed by Guruprasad Construction company. Its contractors were found missing when the accident occurred.
The BBMP chief engineer (West) Ranga Raju said that there was no prima facie violation in the construction of the building. However, he said that town planning officers would be asked to verify if the contractor had adhered to the sanctioned plan and if they had obtained the plan for the construction of the swimming pool.
The Sadashivanagar police have taken up a case of negligence and accident against Guruprasad Constructions, the company which had been entrusted with the construction contract. “As of now we have taken up the case against the company. After the investigation, site engineer or supervisor will be booked,’’ a senior official said.
BBMP opposition leader visits spot
The under-construction building is said to belong to former chief minister N. Dharam Singh or his distant relatives, said BBMP opposition leader M. Uday Shankar. “Whoever the owner, we will make sure that compensation is given to the family of the deceased as well as to those who have
been injured,” Mr Shankar said.
