2 LABOURERS DIE INSIDE BOREWELL, CONTRACTOR DETAINED

MUMBAI: Two workers, hired by a contractor to clean the sludge of a 40-feet-deep borewell in a private society at Fanaswadi near Girgaum, died on Sunday afternoon after they got stuck for an hour inside it.

The police have registered a case of negligence against the contractor. According to fire officials, the locals informed that the two workers — Balu Bhima Jawale, 40, and Vasant Gopal Jawale, 45, had entered the borewell around 11.30am and were brought out in an unconscious state around 12.30pm. The disaster management department of the BMC informed that the duo were declared dead on admission by doctors of Nair hospital. The workers were brought out using a rope ladder and harness and special precautions were taken to ventilate hazardous gas by using exhaust blowers.

Two fire engines, rescue van, breathing apparatus van and an ambulance were rushed to the spot. A fire official said, “The workers had entered the borewell without using any precautionary measure. The locals said the contractor had hired them to clean the sludge of the borewell ahead of monsoon.” The LT Marg police station registered a case against the contractor, Sadashiv Bhadambe,70, under the Indian Penal Code section 304 (a) for causing death due to negligence. The accused has been detained, the police said.

The probe revealed that safety measures were neglected. “The contractor did not implement any safety measure because of which the labourers died,” said Sharad Naik, a senior police inspector