3 killed, 7 injured after hoarding falls at Juna Bazar chowk

Pune – Big iron hoarding collapsed while being dismantled by a contractor at Juna Bazar chowk on Friday afternoon, leading to death of three persons and injuries to seven others. The injured have been admitted to Sassoon Hospital for treatment. Six of them are serious and they have been shifted to the ICU. There are six rickshaws, one car and two bikes damaged in the accident.

The accident occurred at around 2 pm in Shahir Amar Sheikh Chowk (Juna Bazar chowk), on the way to RTO near railway bridge. The railway administration had given the contractor with the order to dismantle the hoarding. The accident happened when they were cutting it. When the hoarding collapsed, traffic was on the way as usual, and there were six rickshaws, two-wheelers and a car parked on the signal. Some of the rickshaws were crushed in a sudden fall of the iron structure of hoarding. Drivers and passengers were severely injured.

Due to the accident, the traffic on this road is completely disrupted. Traffic DCP Tejaswi Satpute and local police and Fire Brigade personnel rushed to the spot.  Initially two persons were declared brought dead. Later another person succumbed to the injuries.

Officials said that the contractor’s labourers were cutting the iron structure from bottom instead of top following which the structure fell down on the vehicles standing at the traffic signal. After the incident, the contractor and his labourers fled, while railway authorities came to the spot, saw and went away.

Injured and dead persons

The deceased persons have been identified as Shamrao Gagandhar Kasar (age-70) of Pimpalegurav, Sham Rajaram Dhotre (age 45) of  Dehurod Cantt, Shivaji Devdas Pardesi (age 40) of Nana Peth. Those injured are  Kiran Somnath Thosar (age-22) of Hadapsar, Yashwant Rama Khobre  of Kothrud,  Mahesh Auchekar of Nana Peth, Rukmini Pardeshi of Nana Peth and the names of the other three injured persons could not be ascertained.

Among the injured were two girls and their father Shivaji Pardeshi who were returning home after the cremation of girls’ mother. They had gone to Alandi for immersion of ashes in the Indrayani river. Shivaji succumbed to his injuries.

Political parties demand action against railways, contractor 

Leader of opposition Chetan Tupe said that action should be initiated against the railway officials as the hoardings fell down when their contractor was dismantling the hoarding boards.

Congress leader Arvind Shinde demanded strict action by evening against the concerned contractor and railway officials.