ANIL KUMAR MISHRA
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PANJIM: Less than a year after a young worker survived an electric shock while working on a Smart City project near Jama Masjid in Panjim, safety issues remain dangerously neglected. Labourers, often migrants, continue to face perilous conditions without proper safety gear, training, or adequate safeguards.
In April 2023, the young worker, unaware of underground live cables, struck an electric wire twice while digging the ground. A small blast resulted in mild electrocution, but fortunately, the worker escaped without critical injuries. The worker revealed that the contractor had not warned him about the cables in the area, or provided any safety equipment.
Such negligence has led to more tragic consequences. In October 2023, 28-year-old Angad Kumar from Bihar died after being buried under a mound of soil at a Smart City worksite in Ribandar. The tragedy underscored the lack of even basic safety measures, which remain glaringly absent despite repeated accidents.
Just last month, O Heraldo observed workers excavating deep trenches for sewage line work on Dr. Wolfgango Silva Road without helmets or protective gear, while precariously piled rubble loomed over them. On January 2, a labourer was seen laying cement blocks near exposed electrical wires on M.G. Road, oblivious to the hazards around him.
When questioned, labourers admitted that contractors dismissed the need for safety equipment, claiming it was unnecessary for tasks that were not explicitly “building construction work.” Meanwhile, women and men alike are deployed to work in trenches up to three metres deep without protection, risking their lives daily.
Local business owners have also expressed frustration with the chaotic Smart City projects. Wilson D’Souza from Ribandar condemned the lack of accountability, saying, “It’s not Smart City work; it’s a smart way of plundering public money. IPSCDL should insure these workers and mandate safety measures. The authorities don’t care whether people live or die.”
On M.G. Road, shopkeepers criticised the disruption to their livelihoods. “Roads are dug without informing residents or businesses, causing chaos during peak business periods,” one proprietor complained. “Customers avoid our shops due to blocked access. We’re not asking them to stop, just to plan better—finish one section before starting another.”
Another shop owner, who declined to be named, voiced concerns about quality. “Look at the stones they’re using—they won’t last. Substandard materials and unplanned work are ruining the city. Digging up roads is also cutting phone and internet lines, which hits our businesses hard.”
Despite repeated incidents and mounting complaints, contractors and officials appear indifferent to the risks faced by labourers and the inconvenience to the public. Instead of symbolising progress, the Smart City projects are rapidly becoming a tale of neglect and poor governance, where human lives and local livelihoods bear the brunt.
