Thane lift collapse: ‘Accept Rs 10 lakh and forget about incident’

Manjesh Chaupal and his wife Sumitra

The families of the seven labourers who died after the lift mishap in Runwal Eirene complex in Thane are being forced and threatened by unknown people allegedly representing the construction company to accept compensation and close the matter. The families have been given a letter under the name of Pratima Singh who is a contractor and fabricator based in Chandivli, Andheri East. They have been told not to raise any complaints and that they would receive a one-time payment of R10 lakh to settle the matter.

The seven labourers died after the cable of a lift they were in snapped as they were descending from the top floors on Sunday. The cable snapped due to poor management, as per the FIR. Team mid-day visited the civil hospital at Thane where the post-mortem of the deceased was conducted on Monday afternoon. At the time, three to four unknown people approached the families of the deceased with letters bearing the name of the deceased and the next of kin. "They said that a one-time payment of Rs 10 lakh will be made immediately after the letter is signed. They were also warned that if they refuse to sign, they won't get any compensation… they would have to repeatedly visit court and everything will eventually go in vain," said a source. The family members were being approached and coerced in front of police officers who were present at the scene.

Rupesh Das, Sunil Das, Mithilesh Kumar Vishwakarma and Kari Das

mid-day is in possession of one such letter which states: "To whomsoever it may concern, I Shri Arunkumar Vishwakarma confirm that I have received in full compensation towards the death of my son Shri Naveen Arunkumar Vishwakarma a sum of Rs 10 lakh. I further have no demands or claims. Thereby consider that settlement or compensation has been fulfilled. If any insurance is available we will try to provide it."

Also read: Thane: 4 victims in lift collapse incident are from Bihar; Nitish announces Rs 2L ex-gratia

Speaking to mid-day, Lalchand Vishwakarma, father of deceased Mithilesh, said, "I lost my son in the lift mishap. Now they (construction company) are giving me Rs 10 lakh to settle this matter. I raised questions about not receiving the insurance amount and they said all labourers are daily wage earners and not employees, hence there is no insurance in place. They also said once I sign the papers I will receive Rs 10 lakh right away."

The letter offering a one-time settlement

Dhasrath Kumar Das, who is related to Manjesh Chaupal and is also the complainant in the case, told mid-day that he lost his brother, two nephews and a cousin brother in the incident. According to him, the unknown men approached the family and also took his signature on the letter. "They said R5 lakh has been transferred to my sister-in-law's account and another R5 lakh has been transferred to my mother's account, adding up to a one-time compensation amount of R10 lakh," he said.

Police sources told mid-day that the lift was not functioning properly for the past three months and that the labourers had also complained to the lift contractor. The lift was repaired several times but the problem persisted. The laborers continued to complain but nothing was done.

Shocked residents from nearby buildings gather in the compound of the building

Dhasrath, who also worked as a labourer in this under-construction building, said he too had complained about the poor management of the lift. He alleged that the lift would often stop in between and this created a sense of panic among the labourers as there was always a creaking sound.

"On the day of the incident, I was working on breaking cement blocks. I completed my duty at 5.30 pm and I left for home. Around 6 pm, I received a call that the lift had collapsed and around seven people, including my family, were crushed under the lift. I reached the site around 6.15 pm and found Manjesh and Rupesh dead in the lift. We then rushed them to the civil hospital but they were declared dead on arrival," Dhasrath said.

The Kapurbawdi police have registered an FIR against the labour contractor, lift contractor and others under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigations are underway. "Our work is to ensure law and order. If the labourers have any issue regarding compensation they should raise it with the labour department," said Amar Jadhav, DCP, Zone 5, Thane.

Meanwhile, the construction company Dhruva Woollen Mills said in a statement: "We would like to reiterate our commitment to the safety and well-being of our workers. We ensure the highest standard of safety is adhered to. Rigorous steps and checks are conducted and certified by competent agencies that carry the reputation and confidence of many years of experience. The lift had been checked and certified as recently as August 18, 2023, where due oiling, servicing, lift room check-up, brake settings, etc. were done and we received a satisfactory performance report. In addition, regular monthly maintenance of the lift has been carried out."

According to the statement, the company is working closely with the competent authorities to ascertain the nature and cause of the accident. The company has also stated that it is committed to offering full support to the families of the deceased.

Aug 18
Day lift was certified as safe for use