A 54-year-old motorcyclist died after a metal barricade erected alongside metro construction fell on him on LBS Marg in Vikhroli, Mumbai, on Friday afternoon. Parksite Police have registered a case against the contractor company responsible for the metro work, along with its supervisor and manager, following a complaint by the victim’s son.
The victim was identified as Vasi Haider, a resident of Gausia Chawl in Ghatkopar. He worked as a plumber and was travelling by motorcycle towards Mulund for work when the barricade fell on him near the Rosary building on LBS Marg, according to the report by Loksatta.
Haider sustained serious injuries in the incident. He was taken to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, but doctors declared him dead before treatment could begin. The accident occurred at around 1 pm, when the roadside metal barricade suddenly fell onto the moving motorcyclist.
The police case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Haider’s son. The complaint names the contractor company carrying out the metro work, as well as the site supervisor and manager. Parksite Police are conducting further investigation into the circumstances that led to the barricade falling onto the road.
The Vikhroli death comes soon after another fatal incident linked to metro construction in Mumbai. A few days earlier, two workers died after scaffolding collapsed during metro work in the Bhakti Park area of Wadala. The two incidents have occurred within a short period, raising renewed concerns about safety controls at active construction sites located beside public roads and used by daily commuters.
Roadside barricades are intended to separate construction activity from moving traffic and pedestrians. In this case, however, the structure installed along LBS Marg became the direct cause of a fatal injury, according to the police complaint and the report. The available information does not establish whether the barricade had been inspected, secured or maintained before the accident.
The incident also highlights the exposure faced by people who travel through Mumbai’s construction corridors for work. LBS Marg is used by two-wheeler riders and other road users moving between central and eastern parts of the city, while metro construction continues alongside existing traffic routes. Any failure in temporary safety infrastructure can therefore affect people outside the construction workforce as well as workers inside the site.
Police action against the contractor, supervisor and manager is now the immediate official step. The investigation will determine how the barricade was installed, why it fell and whether responsibilities were neglected at the worksite.
