Crane turns turtle, operator dies

Hyderabad: A crane operator died after the vehicle turned turtle in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The incident occurred when the crane was installing girders for the Shaikpet-OU Colony flyover on the Film Nagar road. According to GHMC officials, crane operator Gurupreet Singh (40) was a native of Punjab.

When the operator found that the vehicle was losing its balance on right side, he jumped out of his cabin in the crane under tensed situation and tried to run away, but unfortunately the crane weighing about 800 tonnes fell on him due to which he died on the spot.

After being informed about the incident, GHMC Commissioner M Dana Kishore inspected the spot and directed the officials to clear the traffic by ensuring no damage to the water line and electric sub-station near the incident spot.

He expressed condolence to the bereaved family and said it was the first tragic incident in the construction of flyover as part of the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) on the Shaikpet-OU colony stretch.

The flyover was being constructed to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic to Gachibowli financial district from Mehdipatnam.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bonthu Rammohan announced Rs 13 lakh ex-gratia to the deceased crane operator's family including Rs 6 lakh from insurance, Rs 5 lakh from the contractor and Rs 2 lakh from the Mayor's fund.

Further he expressed his deep condolences to the bereaved family.

Traffic regulations at Spot

The law and order police along with the traffic police rushed to the spot and blocked the road temporarily in the morning hours.

The police blocked traffic on one side of the route and diverted vehicles onto other roads.

They advised the public to take alternate routes towards Dargah, Khajaguda from Mehdipatnam and along with the GHMC staff engaged in clearing the crane from the spot.

Major mishap averted in city

A major mishap was averted as the crane turned turtle during the wee hours of the day due to which less damage occurred.

If the incident took place after 7 am, then human loss would be more as it is a busy road.

The officials ordered the contractor and the other staff to take strict precautionary measures while completing the flyover construction works.