Guest worker dies after fall at Chennai metro rail construction site

Chennai: A 23-year-old construction worker from Jharkhand died Friday night after falling from an elevated section of the Metrorail project on the Poonamallee-Vadapalani route, prompting a police investigation into potential safety lapses. Work on the stretch has been temporarily halted to facilitate inquiry.The fatal accident occurred at pillar 185 on Arcot Road in Valasaravakkam where Soray Ganjhu — employed on the Valasaravakkam stretch of the Phase II Metro project for the past 11 months — was performing structural work, police said. He lost balance and fell to the ground, sustaining severe head injuries, fellow workers told police.
They rushed him to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. His body was transferred to a govt hospital for a postmortem. The Valasaravakkam police have registered a case and are examining whether standard safety protocols — including the use of harnesses and safety nets — were followed at the site. While safety gear is mandatory for all Metro Rail personnel working at elevated heights, police say failure to adhere to those protocols led to the fatality. Police are questioning site supervisors and representatives of the private contracting firm that employed the workers after preliminary investigations showed that some workers do not consistently wear the required protective equipment. Investigations will show if the fall was caused by an administrative or safety lapse, police said. CMRL joint director (public relations) Ilavarasi told TOI that stringent safety measures are followed in all construction sites to ensure workers' safety. "We are cooperating with the police investigation," she said. The Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch is in the final stages of completion and is expected to be opened for public transportation soon.