No licence needed to operate cranes

The disaster at the Sahar elevated road project site in Andheri merits some focussing on the stringency rather its glaring want with which a licence to operate heavy vehicle can be had Chew on this One doesnrsquot need a specific skillset one need not be over 21 years nor does one need have any technical knowhow in order to get a licence to drive and operate a heavyduty crane Three labourers were killed and six gravely injured when a giant concrete girder collapsed on them at the site of the Sahar elevated road project PicSatyajit Desai The lethal mishap occurred after a crane let slip a mammoth girder while it was being launched Experts commented on the loose licensing norms saying that at a time the state government is gungho about erecting mega structures it would be helpful even lifesaving if rules are tightened and basic criteria are not blatantly ignored while issuing licences and hiring operators Light experience Officials from the Regional Transport Office RTO said there are no separate licences issued for driving heavy commercial vehicles and operating cranes which are covered under the lsquospecial equipment vehiclersquo category The concrete girder was being installed by a crane in a section of the Sahar elevated road project near the Mumbai International airport when it came crashing down on Wednesday night killing three labourers and injuring another six PicSatyajit Desai ldquoAnyone who is 21 years or above can apply for a driving licence for heavy vehicles if they have a yearrsquos experience of driving a light motor vehicle No separate licence is issued for operating cranes The requisite training is imparted by the hiring firmsrdquo said an RTO official Sources revealed that once the operators are trained if a company bothers with such a thing at all then they need only to give a test at the RTO Said a senior transport official ldquoThere is every need to increase the minimum age for handling such special equipment like cranes to a minimum of five years before allowing them to handle themrdquo It is likely that the Andheri RTO will be asked by the investigators to check the mangled remains of the crane registered as a special equipment vehicle ldquoAction can be taken under the Motor Vehicles Act if the crane had clashed with another vehicle or object while being operated In this case we can only inspect the crane which was apparently functioning until the incident took placerdquo said an Andheri RTO official lsquoWe follow rulesrsquo Officials from LampT the subcontractor commissioned by the main contractor Mumbai International Airport Ltd MIAL for the stretch of the project where the mishap occurred claimed that all their equipment operators are well trained and qualified and standard procedures duly followed The officials said they wouldnrsquot compromise on safety or recruitment criteria especially when expensive equipment is at work ldquoAll equipment operators on our sites are trained and certified before being put on the job Necessary safety measures are practised at our project sitesrdquo said Deepak Morada chief spokesperson LampT Crane mishaps July 2012 A construction labourer died and eight were injured after a girder collapsed on the construction site of the Eastern Freeway at Shanti Nagar in Wadalau00a0 April 2012 A crane on the Metro construction site near Sarvodaya Hospital tilted and fell on a nearby compound wall There were no casualtiesu00a0 October 2011 A girder collapsed on the Eastern Freeway construction site near Mysore colony when an 80mm bolt on the crane came off leading the girder to collapse No one was injuredu00a0 1996 One of the cranes collapsed inside Wankhede Stadium just before the Cricket World Cup 2011 It had been brought to hoist floodlights and other electrical equipment on the premisesu00a0 September 2011 Part of a crane collapsed on a residential building at Currey Road injuring six people Previous incidents July 2012 One labourer died and eight were injured after a girder collapsed on the construction site of the Eastern Freeway at Shanti Nagar in Wadalau00a0 April 2012 A crane on the Metro construction site near Sarvodaya Hospital tilted and fell on a nearby compound wall October 2011 A girder collapsed on the Eastern Freeway construction site near Mysore colony when an 80mm bolt on the crane came off due to which the girder collapsed