Mumbai: Three BEST bus mechanics were injured after a portion of a ceiling slab collapsed inside a storeroom allotted to a wet-lease contractor in the engineering department at Majas depot on Thursday, raising serious concerns over the structural safety of several ageing depot buildings across Mumbai. The incident occurred in a store room-cum-rest area for staffers.According to sources, one employee sustained serious injuries and required stitches, while two others suffered minor injuries and were discharged after receiving medical attention. The incident occurred during working hours and could have proved far more serious had more personnel been present inside the room at the time, sources said.A BEST spokesperson said the incident occurred at 6.45 a.m. when sections of plaster from the slab collapsed inside the facility used by the operator’s engineering department staff. The injured workers were identified as Riyan Shaikh (19), Salman Khan (23) and Mujamdin Khan (20). The spokesperson said the injured were treated at the hospital and are reported to be in stable condition. Further assessment of the affected structure is expected to be carried out to ensure safety and prevent any recurrence of such incidents, the spokesperson added.The mishap has triggered fresh criticism of BEST’s infrastructure maintenance practices, with Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee on the BEST committee, Nitin Nandgaonkar, demanding immediate accountability from the undertaking’s civil department. “Apart from demanding an immediate structural audit of all depots in Mumbai, I will demand suspension of officials from the civil department for negligence. Accountability must be fixed before a more serious tragedy occurs,” he said.Nandgaonkar said he had personally inspected several depots earlier this year and found many structures to be in poor condition. Following these visits, he wrote to the BEST administration in March seeking urgent intervention as severa depots required immediate repairs and some appeared structurally unsafe.Questioning the pace of repairs under BEST’s ongoing infrastructure modernisation and “Kayapalat” initiative, he said employees were being forced to work under unsafe conditions. “A depot is a workplace. Staffers should not have to fear for their lives while on duty. Are authorities waiting for such incidents to recur before acting?” he asked.The collapse has renewed demands for a city-wide assessment of BEST’s ageing depot infrastructure, with employee representatives and committee members calling for urgent repairs and safety certification of buildings used daily by thousands of workers and contractors.“Ends
