A 53-year-old person with disability was killed after being hit by a road roller in Koyambedu on Saturday evening.
City Traffic Police said Bhaskar Raja, a resident of Pillaiyar Kovil Street, Koyambedu, was a person with disability. He had gone to the Vinayagar temple located near the Kurungaleeswarar temple in the same area in his two-wheeler along with his wife Shanthalakshmi on Saturday evening to offer prayers. Later, a road roller that was engaged in paving Macadam road unexpectedly ran over Bhaskar Raja, who was riding the motorcycle. He was killed on the spot.
The road roller driver, a youth named Venkatesan (21), from Tiruvannamalai district fled after the accident. The accused was arrested by the Koyambedu Traffic Investigation police. Due to the accident, the chariot of Kurungaleeswarar temple which was to be pulled on Sunday was postponed indefinitely.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) suspended a contractor from road work in Kodambakkam Zone (X) after a fatal accident during road-laying operations.
The incident occurred on September 6 in Ward 127, Koyambedu, when a road roller deployed for the works struck and killed a person with disability, Baskar Raja (55), of Koyambedu. He was crushed under the vehicle’s wheel.
According to a statement from the Corporation, the works had been awarded to contractor A. Balaji through orders issued on May 20. While executing the project, he failed to provide safety measures mandated under the contract, leading to the accident. The lapse resulted in loss of life, brought disrepute to the civic body and endangered public safety, the release said.
Effective 12.30 p.m. on September 6, the contractor was barred from continuing the works. Further action would be taken against him for breach of contract obligations and the circumstances of the accident, the Corporation added.
Meanwhile, the Koyambedu Traffic Investigation Wing police registered a case and sent the body to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. A compensation for the family of the deceased is yet to be dispensed, according to sources in GCC.
Published – September 08, 2025 05:00 am IST
