Boulder collapse near Bengaluru: Half-eaten meals remain where a routine workday at quarry turned fatal

Half-eaten meals packed from home lay scattered next to unopened plastic water bottles, while two earthmovers and six drilling machines standing silent were among the first signs that work had come to an abrupt halt at the stone quarry in Hulukenahalli village in Tavarekere Hobli on Bengaluru’s outskirts on Thursday.

Just hours earlier, what had begun as a routine workday ended in tragedy when a massive boulder crashed onto a tractor that was loading crushed stones from about 40 ft distance, killing at least seven workers and injuring five others.

The quarry, one of several crusher units spread across this belt on the outskirts of Bengaluru, is usually filled with the sound of drilling, crushing and blasting that can be heard from kilometres away. On Thursday afternoon, it was unusually quiet. The police had sealed the area while groups of workers stood on a nearby hill, watching officials move in and out of the site. Though they were repeatedly asked to leave, many stayed back.

Most of the workers employed at the quarry are migrant labourers from Yadgir and Raichur in Karnataka, and from Jharkhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

According to the workers, around 20 labourers had come for duty in the morning in two adjacent quarry sites. “While a few people were eating at that hour before starting work, a few had already started loading stones when a huge boulder broke loose from one quarry face, rolled down to another section and came crashing down a slope onto the workers below,” they described.

The workers argued that none of those at the site had been provided basic protective equipment such as helmets or gloves. “Every evening blasting takes place. After that, we gather to load stones and sand. Nobody has a helmet, gloves or any other safety gear,” said Laxminarayan, one of the workers.

Laxminarayan added that the quarry owner, Udayshankar, had instructed workers not to work there, he said, pointing at a buffer zone, because it was dangerous.

“But our contractor, Ravi, asked us to work there because it was easier and quicker to work in the buffer zone. There (in the buffer zone), rocks were more accessible and more material could be loaded in less time instead of digging elsewhere,” he said.

The approach to the quarry was a long way down the slope over and onto an uneven dirt track carved into the hillside. Every vehicle that made its way up left behind a thick trail of dust, reducing visibility. The same route, used all day by workers, remained untouched until officials were told the Chief Minister was expected. Soon afterwards, a water tanker climbed the hill, spraying the entire stretch to settle the dust. However, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar did not show up at the spot.

The workers said they lived nearly 10 km away from the quarry and rushed back after hearing about the accident. Many remained on the hill throughout the day, and said that they would even protest if action was not taken this time.

“We have given several complaints over the years, but nobody has even bothered to visit,” the workers lamented.