After road roller death, firms work orders cancelled

CHENNAI: Following the death of a 54-year-old man who was crushed by a road roller at Vadakku Mada Veethi in Koyambedu on Saturday, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has issued a notice to contractor A Balaji, terminating all 37 road works awarded to him under the contract dated May 20. The corporation has reiterated that contractors will be held responsible for public safety. Contract clause 11.1 states that from the starting date until the defects correction certificate has been issued, the risks of personal injury, death and loss of or damage to property are not the authoritys risks but the contractors risk, the notice stated. Referring to clause 51 of the agreement, which requires contractors to ensure no damage or harm to the public during road works, the notice issued by the corporation said the incident not only brought disrepute to the civic body but also resulted in a loss of life. The civic body also said that further action would be taken against the contractor for the incident. Asked if they were planning to issue a compensation to the victims family, corporation officials said that it has not been finalised yet. On September 6, after road-laying was completed at Vadakku Mada Veethi, when the driver attempted to move the parked road roller, he allegedly lost control and fatally ran over Baskar, who was standing about 20ft away. Following this, GCC suspended the assistant engineer of division 127, under whose supervision the road work was being carried out. Speaking to TNIE, a corporation official said, Usually, all civic body contractual agreements, especially for road works, include clause 11.1 to hold the contractor responsible and ensure public safety. However, though the clause says it is not the authoritys risk, it is mandatory for the city corporations assistant engineers to oversee the work, ensuring proper monitoring for safety and quality. Since this failed in this case, the assistant engineer of division 127, Veera Ragavan, was suspended.