Prestige Shantiniketan construction accident

There was a second accident at Prestige Shantiniketan site within two weeks. As per the initial report it appears that portion of excavated earth caved in while constructing parking lot. It's unfortunate that poor construction labors got killed in this accident. I'm not sure how Prestige resumed the construction without even closing first accident investigation from BBMP.

If there were no permissions to resume the construction then Prestige Group is in serious trouble now and I empathize with the owners who had invested their hard earned money for a dream apartment which may now get indefinitely delayed due to legal tangles. Though there is a slight relief for the owners that this accident was not due to sloppy constructions in towers or slabs but it's just that loose mud caved in.

Whether it was an accident or lapse in the construction process we will come to know after investigation but one thing is sure that both Prestige Group and Owners will have a tough time ahead.

Read below for more news from media.
Source - The Hindu

Bangalore: In a reprise of a tragedy, two labourers died and one was injured at the Prestige- Shantiniketan Township at Whitefield on Monday when mud caved in on them. The police identified the dead as Prasannajit Behara (25) and Sanjeev Dutta (28) and the injured as Kailash Paswan (25).

It was only six weeks ago that a worker died and several were injured when part of the same building collapsed, leading to exhaustive excavation to retrieve the body.

The police said that Monday’s incident occurred at around 5.30 p.m. when construction on the approach to the underground parking lot was going on. It is said that a bulldozer was being used to clear the way when the excavated mud suddenly collapsed, interring Prasannajit Behara and Sanjeev Dutta. The two died of asphyxiation.

Kailash Paswan and others, who were working on the centring near the accident area, rushed to move to safe grounds. In the scramble, Mr. Paswan fell into the pit and injured himself. He was rushed to a hospital.

Commissioner of Police Shankar Bidari, who visited the spot, said: “It seems to be a case of negligence on the part of the construction company and builder. Prima facie, the accident has occurred due to lack of supervision.” A case was registered under Sections 304, 304A and 338 of the Indian Penal Code. Seven people, including vice-president of Prestige Group Ashok Saproo and general manager and project in-charge Muralidhar Rao, were arrested and were later produced before a magistrate.

Prestige Group was not available for comments.

The work at the township was taken up only after the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) gave the go-ahead to the group. On October 23, the 15-storeyed “C” Tower in the structure collapsed, killing one and injuring four workers.

Upa Lokayukta G. Patri Basavana Goud, who had visited the spot then, ordered an inquiry and held officials of the Police Department, Labour Department, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and BDA guilty of “serious dereliction of duty.”

Read more news Deccan Herald

Two construction workers were buried alive and an equal number injured as earth caved on them at the Prestige Shantiniketan, a township project in Whitefield, on Monday evening.

Sanjeev Dutta (18) and Pranjit Behra (29) from Midnapore in West Bengal were killed while Kailash Paswan and Jagadish have been admitted to a nearby private hospital with injuries.


According to eyewitness, more than half-a-dozen workers were engaged in centring works for the construction of the sub-way and parking lots, connecting various residential complexes. Pits, 18 feet in depth, had been dug up for the works. When the workers were busy in the civil works, a portion of the excavated earth caved in.
A worker had died when a portion of the 16-storyed commercial complex under construction collapsed at the same site on Oct 23.

Heera Nayak, BBMP Joint Commissioner who visited the site said, “we had not given permission to start the works. They have violated the rules. It's a serious offense and we will lodge a complaint.”

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