RDO suggests conditional nod for resuming works

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The RDO has recommended resuming the construction of the ill-fated shopping complex at the Central Bus Station, Thampanoor, provided building norms are strictly adhered to.The recommendation has been made in an interim report filed by RDO V Jayaprakash before the District Collector. Although Transport Minister V S Sivakumar had convened a meeting on Thursday to discuss the mishap, the report could not be discussed.The roof of the under-construction shopping complex at the bus station had caved in on the night of August 4, killing one labourer. Construction was stopped after the mishap.The RDO’s report cites two separate reports prepared by the PWD and the Labour Department on the mishap. The PWD had concluded that building norms were flouted by the contractor. The beams could not support the weight of the roof, which came crashing down, bringing the labourer down with it, it said. The Labour Department report said that safety norms were not followed at the work site.‘’After the accident, we had sought reports from both the PWD and the Labour officials. I have cited their conclusions in my report and recommended that work may be resumed, provided the norms are strictly followed,’’ Jayaprakash said.According to the Fort Police, 24 people were working at the site and majority were lucky enough to be outside the building at the time of the mishap. On August 5, a day after the mishap, the Fort Police had registered cases against the contractor under sections 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code which pertains to acts that endanger the lives of others.The shopping complex is part of a big project of the KSRTC to modernise the Central Bus Station. The mishap was one of the major ones the city had witnessed in recent times and it was initially feared that several labourers were trapped under the debris.