A worker was killed and another injured after soil from a bridge embankment collapsed during service-road construction on the Pune-Solapur National Highway at Rajwadi in Indapur taluka on October 30, according to a report by Pudhari – Pune.
The deceased worker was identified as Mashraful Sheikh, 20. The injured worker, identified as Akhtar, also 20, was taken to the sub-district hospital in Indapur for treatment. Both workers were reported to be from West Bengal.
The soil collapse occurred while work was under way on the service road near a bridge. Workers were pulled out using a Poklen excavator and a JCB machine, the report said. One worker was rescued, while Sheikh died after being trapped beneath the soil.
Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane visited the site after being informed about the incident. He described the incident as unfortunate and said action would be taken against those responsible, according to the report. Indapur tehsildar Jeevan Bansode, police inspector Vilas Nale and other local representatives also visited the location.
The incident took place along a section of the highway that carries heavy traffic, including large vehicles. The report said construction of the service road was being carried out with protection walls in place, while soil from the flyover embankment had been cut or lowered. Local Congress office-bearer Nivas Shelke and Ramesh Bhosale alleged that vibrations from continuing heavy traffic contributed to the collapse and that the contractor had been warned not to disturb the soil mound.
Those allegations were made by local political representatives and were not independently established in the supplied report. The report also carried their claim that traffic on the flyover should have been stopped or diverted while work was being undertaken, which they said could have prevented the accident.
The reported sequence highlights the safety risks created when active highway traffic and earthwork operate alongside each other. At the site, construction activity was taking place below or near an embankment while vehicles continued to use the flyover above, according to the report. The extent to which traffic movement, soil cutting, site protection and contractor procedures contributed to the collapse remains subject to official examination.
The minister’s statement indicated that action would follow against those found responsible. The injured worker remained under treatment at the Indapur sub-district hospital, while local officials and police had visited the site after the collapse.
