Hyderabad: Two people were killed and one injured after a large chunk of mud, weighing tonnes, caved in burying the victims alive, at a multi-storey construction site near Sangeet theatre in Secunderabad on Saturday. The mishap took place around 4 pm. The two workers were removing mud as another worker was digging with an excavator machine.
Workers were digging to construct a cellar when two of them, B. Sharada, 35, a native of Karimnagar, and O. Rajaiah, 42, a native of Warangal were trapped under at least 10 feet of mud.
The builder, Maruti Ventures Private limited, had allegedly violated GHMC rules and ignored a High Court order asking it to construct retaining walls around the site before starting construction.
Incidentally, this is the second cave-in at the same construction site in one-and-half years. The worker who escaped with injuries is 48-year-old B. Rajaiah. He got injured in the leg.
“Sharada and O. Rajaiah were in the pit, and I was a few feet away from the mud wall. In a matter of seconds, tonnes of mud came down trapping both of them,” he said.
Earlier, a cave-in had occurred and the foundations of the adjoining buildings were exposed. The families living in those buildings had then approached the court. The HC had ordered the builder to construct retaining walls in 40 days to avoid any harm to the adjoining building.
However, even after more than one-and-half years, the construction of the retaining wall was not completed. Hyderabad Mayor Majid Hussain, who visited the spot, declared Rs1lakh ex gratia for the families of the deceased.
GHMC commissioner M. Somesh Kumar said that action will be initiated after a thorough enquiry against the erring Town Planning officials who failed to inspect the site. The commissioner has also directed the additional commissioner to cancel the building permit.
Gopalapuram police has taken three people, including the excavator operator and site supervisor into the custody. Cops said a construction company management official, Rohit Matta, and one of the builders named Pradeep will also be taken into custody soon.
Meanwhile, tension mounted at the site, when the bodies of deceased were cut into pieces when the excavator operator tried to dig out the bodies using the machine. Sharada’s body was decapitated as the excavator’s bucket cut her head off while digging. Families of victims roughed up the driver. The police had to intervene and control the situation.
