Worker gets stuck in lift on 21st floor of under-construction building; rescued after 15 hours
Thane (PTI): A 39-year-old worker got trapped in a suspended cradle lift at an under-construction highrise building in Maharashtra's Thane city and was rescued safely after 15 hours on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The worker, a native of Kolkata, was engaged in painting work using the cradle (an open lift) when a sudden power outage left him stranded on the 21st floor of the building located opposite a petrol pump in Majiwada area at around 3 pm on Tuesday, Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.
"The power failure occurred in the under-construction building, which comprises a parking basement, four other floors of parking and a 35-storey tower. The incident was reported to our disaster management centre at 2:02 am on July 9 by the Balkum fire station after getting an alert from the construction site, and an SOS was raised," he said.
The official said when he reached the site at around 4 am, only a construction supervisor was present, and there was no immediate solution in sight.
"The lift was non-operational due to power outage, and I was informed that help was delayed because the power employees were on strike. I then personally contacted a senior Maharashtra state electricity officer, who promptly deployed two staff members," Tadvi said.
The site engineer was also contacted and directed to arrange for a private generator.
"Within 30 minutes, a generator was brought to the site. With the coordinated effort of the disaster management officers, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, police, fire brigade, electricity company staff and the generator crew, we safely brought down the trapped worker at around 6 am," Tadvi said.
The worker did not suffer from any injury, he said, while highlighting lapses in the safety protocols at construction sites.
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If you have a conscience, apologize to the people: R Ashoka slams Yathindra over Nalwadi comparison
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.
