A 46-year-old cargo clearance worker was crushed by a reversing truck at the cargo service centre of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on February 16. Customs House Agents union members later struck work, demanding stronger safety measures and compensation
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s cargo service centre, where the mishap occurred on February 16. PICS/SATEJ SHINDE
Ganesh Pandurang Lotankar, a 46-year-old worker employed by a private firm, was crushed to death in an accident involving a truck at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s cargo service centre on February 16. A day later, workers affiliated with the Customs House Agents union struck work in protest, calling for better safety measures. The mishap occurred around 8 pm, and witnesses claim that Lotankar was run over by a reversing truck.
Drivers present at the spot claim there was a 30-to-45-minute delay before the victim was taken to a hospital. “We kept asking for a doctor or ambulance, but nothing was done for more than half an hour,” said Shekar Kamble, a CHA member.
Lotankar was ultimately taken to the Cooper Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. He had been working for about 20 years as a cargo clearance worker and is survived by a wife and two children. Lotankar’s colleagues have demanded that the airport operator provide compensation and jobs to the deceased’s family. mid-day contacted the Mumbai International Airport Limited for a comment, but received no reply by press time.
Problems in the cargo area
>> Lack of doctors, ambulances and first aid facilities
>> Clearers are not allowed to accompany truck drivers
>> Malfunctioning lights make evening hours dangerous
Words of grief
Dilip Jadav, import broker
‘There are many safety issues in the cargo area, but this could have been avoided. Usually, two people manage big vehicles — the driver and the clearer. The latter’s job is to check the blind spots when the former reverses. But security personnel in the cargo area don’t allow more than one person in the vehicle, which is to blame for the mishap’
Nayan Kadam MNS general secretary, who spoke to CSC officials yesterday
‘All I am saying is that Mumbai International Airport Limited must provide adequate compensation to the kin of the deceased and ensure better safety. The victim was the sole breadwinner of his family. The authorities need to take this into account’
Police action
An FIR has been filed by the brother of the victim. The accused has been identified as Kumar Appaji Rao Matre, the driver of the truck. According to the FIR, the accused will be charged under Section 106 of the BNS (causing death by rash or negligent acts not amounting to culpable homicide) and Section 281 (rash and negligent driving or riding on a public way that endangers human life or causes potential injury)
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