Before the accident at the under-construction site of Shree Cement factory near Kodla and Benakanahalli villages in Sedam taluk, Kalaburagi district, which killed six Bihari workers in the first week of last August faded away from the public mind, another tragedy struck the factory on Friday morning. Six contract workers who were engaged in cleaning the jammed belt meant for transporting the raw material within the plant were injured in an accident.
The injured were identified as Manoj (27), Devendrappa Sharanappa (31), Lakshman Basanna (35), Devendrappa Siddanna (35) Ravikumar Channareddy (46) and Mallappa Mundinamane (37). All the injured were rushed to United Hospital in Kalaburagi.
Vikram Siddareddy, Managing Director of United Hospital, who was personally monitoring surgeries, said that the condition of Manoj, who hailed from Rajasthan, was critical as he sustained injuries in vital organs. “The diaphragm, the skeletal muscle that separates the abdomen from the chest, is heavily damaged. We cannot say anything at least for the next 48 hours. The other patients too have sustained multiple fractures and injuries, but are relatively better,” he told The Hindu .
The accounts of the injured indicate negligence being the cause of the accident.
“The belt that transports raw material within the factory stopped moving as it got jammed with stones and mud. We, about 10 workers, stepped on it by 9.30 a.m. and began removing the material stuck in the wheels and chain of the belt. After an hour, the belt, as it got cleaned, suddenly began moving when we all were still on sitting on it, taking all of us along. In fact, it was not switched off before we started cleaning work. Some of us got trapped in the moving belt and heavy iron chain,” Mallappa Mundinamane, one of the injured, told The Hindu in United Hospital.
Superintendent of Police N. Shashikumar visited the hospital and got updates from the hospital authorities.
