Govt to improve Metro staff’s lot

After it was brought to the notice of the state assembly that workers and engineers on the Metro rail project are toiling in hazardous conditions without adequate safety measures, speaker Dilip Walse Patil asked the government to issue directives to the implementing agencies.

The issue of death of two children in the trench dug for Metro rail in the western suburbs last week was raised during the zero hour on Monday. BJP MLA Gopal Shetty claimed that due care was not taken by the agencies that have been implementing the development projects, including the Metro and Monorail in the city.

Shetty said that lethargy has led to several deaths and immediate
intervention of the government was necessary.

Ravindra Waikar of the Shiv Sena alleged that not only pedestrians and the general pubic but also officials and employees of the project are at risk. “The safety and security measures are not followed by the employers leading to numerous accidents on the sites of the Metro and Monorail projects. The Metro work is being conducted at the elevated site and hence the employees are at risk. They are not even provided with safety belts. They cannot even complain against their employers,” he said. 

Speaker Dilip Walse Patil directed the government to look into the matter immediately and issue directives to the agencies concerned.