Team Goemkarponn
DABOLIM: A heavy crane deployed for the ongoing flyover construction work at Dabolim toppled onto the road on Friday, leaving its driver and operator injured and damaging a nearby house and several parked two-wheelers.
The incident occurred while the crane was engaged in construction work at the flyover site. The driver and operator sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment.
Following the crane’s collapse, its boom fell into an adjoining residential area, damaging the railings of a house and multiple two-wheelers parked outside. Fortunately, the occupants of the house, including a small child, were asleep inside and escaped unhurt.
The crane narrowly missed vehicles travelling along the road, averting what could have been a major tragedy. No loss of life was reported.
The incident has sparked anger among local residents, who have demanded strict action against the contractor, alleging serious lapses in safety arrangements at the construction site.
Residents claimed that this was not an isolated incident, pointing to previous instances in which iron rods had allegedly fallen from the under-construction flyover onto vehicles travelling on the road below. They alleged that inadequate safety precautions had repeatedly placed motorists and residents at risk.
Locals also referred to fatal accidents during construction-related activities in the past, which they attributed to alleged negligence and insufficient safety measures by contractors.
Demanding accountability, residents have urged the authorities, particularly the South Goa Collector, to take serious cognisance of the incident, order an inquiry and initiate appropriate legal action against the contractor if negligence is established.
They said construction work must not come at the cost of public safety and called for immediate corrective measures to prevent a similar incident in the future.
