Pay Rs 5 lakh to victims’ kin, BWSSB tells contractor

Two days after two engineers and a supervisor were killed when the roof of a biodigester (tank) collapsed in northeastern Bengaluru, the BWSSB on Wednesday said it had directed the contractor to compensate the victims’ families.

The biodigester was being constructed as part of a Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) sewage treatment plant at Jogappa Layout near Lumbini Gardens. Its centring came apart on Monday morning, bringing down the scaffolding and the shuttering place (formwork). The accident left 20 other workers wounded.

The BWSSB has asked Surat-based Enviro Control Associates India Private Limited, the main contractor, to pay Rs 5 lakh to the family of each deceased and provide proper medical treatment to the injured workers. “If the contractor does not pay the compensation, we will deduct the amount from its dues. This is to ensure that the victims get the monetary compensation,” Tushar Girinath, Chairman, BWSSB, told DH.

Onus on top engineers

Following the incident, the BWSSB also instructed its officials to enforce safety measures in all the ongoing projects. In this regard, the board said its engineer-in-chief and the chief engineers of different projects would act as safety commissioners. “We have instructed all the engineers associated with different projects to enforce the safety guidelines,” Kemparamaiah, Engineer-in-Chief and Chief Engineer, Maintenance Zone, BWSSB, said.

A senior official said: “The project where this incident occurred is a turnkey project and includes maintenance for 10 years. That’s why we had deputed an engineer to monitor it.” \