Contractor Fined Rs 25 Lakh, Asked To Help Victims Of Mumbai Crane Collapse

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 25 lakh on the contractor responsible for demolition work at an unsafe building in Kurla, after a hydraulic crane being used at the site collapsed on Friday morning, injuring at least 10 people and damaging nearby hutments, vehicles and railway overhead equipment.

The incident occurred during demolition work on an incomplete residential building in the Kurla area. The crane fell towards the adjoining area and came into contact with the railway overhead equipment on the Kurla-Trombay section. The accident also damaged several hutments, the compound wall of an MHADA building and three to four parked vehicles. One of those injured was a three-month-old infant.

MMRDA, in a statement issued after the accident, said the building had originally been constructed in 2005 by HDIL (Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd.) under a Slum Rehabilitation Scheme through the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA).

The structure comprised ground plus 16 upper floors and six wings, with approximately 500 residential tenements. However, the project remained incomplete and the building was never brought into regular habitation or occupancy, the authority said.

Following financial distress and bankruptcy of the developer, the incomplete structure was handed over by the SRA to MMRDA on an "as-is-where-is" basis.

Building Declared Unsafe In 2021

That MMRDA the administrative and technical process for demolition of the unsafe structure following an audit. A demolition contract was awarded to Total Construction Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, which was to carry it out manually.

The crane accident has raised questions over safety arrangements during the demolition of a structure located close to occupied settlements and railway infrastructure. The exact sequence of events and the reasons for the crane collapse are expected to be examined as part of the investigation.

Injured To Receive Assistance

The MMRDA said immediate steps had been taken to assist those affected. Medical treatment of the injured has been accorded the highest priority, while the contractor has been directed to bear the necessary expenses towards medical treatment and injuries.

The contractor has also been directed to meet the cost of repairing or compensating for the hutments and vehicles damaged in the incident.

MMRDA said it has initiated action against the contractor under the applicable contractual provisions and safety requirements. A penalty of Rs 25 lakh has been imposed, with further action to follow, if required, after the findings of the investigation by the concerned authorities.

The incident comes amid increased scrutiny of construction and infrastructure safety in Mumbai. MMRDA had also recently imposed a much larger Rs 12.5-crore penalty on a contractor and two agencies following a safety lapse at the Metro Line 9 Medetiya Nagar station site, where granite stones fell into a barricaded work area.