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A 41-year-old construction worker died after falling from the fifth floor of an under-construction building in Malviya Nagar on Sunday. According to the police, the deceased, Sheikh Shah Alam, a resident of Bihar’s Katihar district, was working on the fifth floor of the under-construction building.
DCP (South) Chandan Chowdhary said, “Safety gears were neither found on the deceased’s body nor at the site.” She said a case under IPC Sections 288 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings) and 304A (causing death by negligence) has been filed, and the builder, Harish, a resident of Khirki Extension, has been arrested. She added that the builder had taken the necessary permissions from the MCD for the construction work.
Workers at the spot said Alam was planning to return to his hometown in Bihar on Monday morning for his daughter’s wedding in August.
Talking about the deceased, Muhammad Jarif, who works at a nearby building, said, “He has five daughters and one son and was the only breadwinner of his family. He had a train to catch in the morning as one of his daughters is getting married in some days.”
“We demand strict action against the builder and financial aid for Alam’s family so that his daughter’s wedding is held as planned,” he added.
Alam’s colleagues, however, claimed that a workers’ union had halted the construction work on the site nearly two months ago due to the non-payment of wages.
Gul Muhammad, who worked at the building from January to March, said, “Even as the front side of the building had been sealed, construction work was going on at the building’s rear.”
Malviya Nagar MLA (AAP) Somnath Bharti visited the site late at night and said he will try to get financial help from the Delhi government for the victim’s family.
“The builder had employed the workers without providing them the necessary safety gear,” Mr. Bharti said, adding that he has summoned the officials concerned, including the local police and the MCD, to probe the matter and fix responsibility.
