The Pune Municipal Corporation has issued a show-cause notice and begun the process of blacklisting a contractor after 69-year-old Pradeep Pardeshi died after falling into a drainage pit at Chitra Chowk in Yerawada, Pune. The civic body has also stopped the contractor’s ongoing works at other locations and lodged a police complaint.
PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said directions had been issued to initiate action against Shubham Ashok Khanode, a contractor based in Sangamner in Ahilyanagar district. The contractor has been asked to submit a detailed explanation within 24 hours of receiving the show-cause notice.
Pardeshi fell into a pit approximately 15 feet deep that had been excavated for laying a 900-mm-diameter sewer line. The work was being carried out on behalf of the PMC. According to a preliminary assessment cited by the civic administration, inadequate safety arrangements at the site may have contributed to the accident.
The contractor was required to install proper barricading, protective railings, warning signboards and adequate lighting around the excavation. The use of fibre barricades instead of iron barricades has also been cited as a possible factor in the incident. The PMC said it would inspect ongoing works at other locations across Pune.
“Contractors are responsible for taking the necessary safety precautions after being awarded work by the municipal corporation. They are required to submit an undertaking regarding safety measures. The concerned contractor is being proceeded against for failing to take the required precautions. The PMC will also inspect ongoing works at other locations across the city,” Ram said.
The police complaint and the civic inquiry are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the death, including the condition of the work site and whether the prescribed safety measures were in place. The investigation will also look into whether there was any fault on the part of the vehicle driver or the deceased, if applicable, according to the PMC Commissioner.
The civic administration has separately sought information about Pardeshi’s discharge from Rajiv Gandhi Hospital after the accident and the circumstances in which he died later that night. Ram said the police had been asked to examine the hospital-related aspects of the case.
The PMC’s action includes stopping the contractor’s other ongoing works and plans to withdraw those assignments. The show-cause process, police complaint and detailed inquiry will determine the next steps against the contractor and establish responsibility for the safety failures, if confirmed.
