A 14-year-old boy, who had been battling for life for nearly two weeks after a brick fell on his head from an under-construction building in Shimla, succumbed to his injuries at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) on Sunday.
The deceased, Tanish Kaushal, a Class IX student, was injured while returning home from school. He was immediately rushed to IGMC, where he underwent surgery and remained under treatment for nearly two weeks before breathing his last.
According to colleagues of his father, Pawan Kaushal, who works as a network engineer at IGMC, Tanish was the only child of his parents.
Following the tragedy, the IGMC Employees’ Association demanded strict action against the contractor and the owner of the building, alleging failure to implement adequate safety measures at the construction site.
“At the very least, there should have been a signboard warning pedestrians about the ongoing construction work. Such precautions are missing at most construction sites, putting pedestrians at risk,” said a colleague of Pawan Kaushal.
Large-scale construction activity is currently underway in several parts of Shimla, with multi-storeyed buildings coming up across the city. In many areas, pedestrians are forced to walk through narrow pathways alongside under-construction structures, increasing the risk of accidents caused by falling debris or construction material.
Calling the incident unfortunate, Shimla Mayor Surender Chauhan said proper safety measures must be ensured at all construction sites, especially in residential areas.
“The construction norms require contractors and owners to carry out barricading and netting at construction sites to prevent any untoward incident. These norms must be followed strictly to ensure such incidents do not recur,” he said.
