Jiyaguda property owner and contractor arrested after fatal wall collapse

The Kulsumpura police on Wednesday arrested a property owner and a contractor following a fatal wall collapse at a construction site in New Ganga Nagar, Jiyaguda, which killed a 36-year-old carpenter and injured another man. The incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. on June 22 when an old wall adjacent to the construction site collapsed due to alleged negligence and unauthorized excavation.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Yada Vinod Kumar, the owner of the property where the construction work was underway, and Dundigala Srinivas Sagar, the contractor overseeing the project. Following their arrests on Wednesday, both men were produced before a court.

The deceased, identified as Angad, was a carpenter residing in Bharath Nagar, Jiyaguda. According to the police, Angad and another man, Dilip Paswan, were returning home on the evening of June 22 when the adjoining wall suddenly collapsed on them. While Angad succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the collapse, Dilip Paswan suffered minor injuries.

The police launched an investigation after Rohit Paswan, the brother of the deceased, lodged a formal complaint. The Kulsumpura police subsequently registered a case and initiated a probe into the incident.

During the investigation, police officers discovered that excavation work at the construction site had been undertaken without obtaining the required permission from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Furthermore, the accused had failed to implement mandatory safety measures at the site, such as installing barricades, fencing, warning boards, or making public safety arrangements.

Investigators also revealed that the property owner and the contractor had noticed cracks developing in the adjoining wall during the excavation process. Despite observing these clear structural hazards, the accused failed to take any precautionary measures to secure the wall, which ultimately led to the fatal collapse.

Based on the evidence collected during the probe, the police arrested both Vinod Kumar and Srinivas Sagar. The Kulsumpura police stated that further investigation into the matter is currently underway.