MUMBAI: A pothole repair drive on the Mira-Bhayandar Road turned hazardous on Saturday night after a biker slipped on freshly laid hot mastic asphalt and suffered burn injuries, triggering fresh questions over safety measures at Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) worksites.
Event Context
The incident comes as the MMRDA has been facing sustained criticism over a series of accidents and alleged safety lapses at infrastructure projects across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
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According to advocate and activist Krishna Gupta, the incident occurred on Saturday night when contractors appointed by the MMRDA were laying hot mastic asphalt to fill potholes that had emerged after torrential rain on the arterial Mira-Bhayandar Road.
Gupta alleged that the freshly laid hot asphalt was not barricaded, creating an oil slick that became even more hazardous because of the rain.
“Two to three bikers slipped due to the oil slick on the hot mastic asphalt, as the affected portion was not barricaded. At the same time, there was rainfall leading to dangerous conditions for motorists,” Gupta said. At least one biker suffered burn injuries on his arm after falling onto the hot mastic asphalt. Following the incident, the pothole-filling work was temporarily halted.
When contacted, MMRDA said it had taken immediate cognisance of the incident. In a statement, the authority said preliminary investigations found that mandatory safety precautions had not been fully followed during the execution of the work.
Accordingly, the MMRDA imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on contractor J Kumar Infraprojects and ₹5 lakh on the general consultant SYSTRA-CEG-SMCIPL consortium.
The authority, however, also attributed part of the incident to the biker’s actions. “The motorcyclist was speeding and attempting to overtake at the time of the incident. However, MMRDA has taken immediate action as it maintains a zero-tolerance approach towards any safety lapse at its project sites,” the statement said.
The latest incident adds to a string of accidents involving MMRDA projects and contractors in recent months. On June 15, during construction of Mumbai Metro Line 2B, shuttering on one of the pillars caught fire in another incident involving J Kumar Infraprojects.
Earlier, J Kumar Infraprojects and consultant Asystem STUP were penalised ₹1 crore and ₹25 lakh, respectively, after a fatal accident on May 5 during construction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector project.
The accident occurred on AD Road while a pier steel shutter was being shifted using a hydra crane. Ravi Giri, 19, was struck by the steel shutter and sustained severe injuries. He was rushed to KEM Hospital in Parel but was declared dead after doctors examined him.
In another fatal incident on February 14, a worker was killed at the Mumbai Metro Line 4 construction site in Mulund involving Reliance Infrastructure-Astaldi Joint Venture SPA and subcontractor Milan Buildtech.
