38 worker deaths, yet no action against Bengaluru Metro officials

More than 30 people have died in Namma Metro construction work till date, but no action has been taken by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) against its erring officials, documents accessed by DH via RTI show.

The disclosures not only underscore inadequate safety infrastructure at Metro sites but also reveal a serious lack of official accountability.

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Documents show that 38 people have lost their lives while 50 have been injured in the ongoing metro construction work, which commenced in 2007.

The BMRCL claims that except for an accident in January 2023, all accidents involved contractual staff — helpers, fitters, drivers, riggers and unskilled labourers employed by contractors.

In its initial response to the RTI application, the BMRCL claimed only two deaths had occurred in the Reach 2 extension (western part of the Purple Line), adding that no members of the public were injured or killed during the construction.

However, following a first appeal, the BMRCL provided the details of an additional seven people, including two members of the public — Sushil Kanchan, a delivery boy, and a man identified as Anadappa — killed in the Reach 6 elevated portion work from Gottigere to Dairy Circle.

This brings the total number of disclosed fatalities to nine.

But the document does not disclose the compensation amount paid by the contractor to Sushil’s family and noted that nobody from Anadappa’s family showed up to claim compensation.

The BMRCL provided no information pertaining to the deaths of the 29 others.

What is notable is that BMRCL did not act against its officials who were let off with safety warnings and directives to study the cause of the accidents. In all the listed cases, reasons cited were workers' negligence or the contractor's failure to inform the officials before commencing work.

Contractors were issued letters or were levied penalties that ranged from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. They were made to pay compensation ranging from Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 16 lakh to the victims or their families. In five of the nine listed cases, no action was taken against the contractors either.

After a mother and her toddler died when a metro pillar reinforcement cage collapsed in HBR Layout in January, the BMRCL suspended three engineers, imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh on the contractors and demanded reasons from them.

The contractors, in turn, dismissed three workers from service.

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So far, contractors have paid Rs 3.15 cr as compensation to the victims' families while the BMRCL has levied fines of up to Rs 1.77 cr on contractors.

Labourers' safety, compensation

A senior official with BMRCL told DH that wherever an accident happens, the entire cost of treatment, if it is an injury, is borne by the concerned contractor.

When asked about worker safety measures, the official said labourers have to wear safety helmets and reinforced boots.

"Accidents happen when labourers or engineers take a chance due to overconfidence," he said and added that "in some places, something will fall suddenly."

BMRCL has also increased the number of safety officers from six to twelve who conduct regular safety audits.

"Even with all the precautions, every year, on an average, I see three to four deaths when the work is going on. This is the case with most mega projects. These deaths are preventable but they happen even with all safety precautions."

On holding the contractors accountable, he said any breach of regulations would be dealt with "very severely".

"They cooperate and, in fact, go beyond the signed agreement and do the best for the labourers," he claimed.