JAMMU, August 26, 2026 – Tragedy struck two separate infrastructure projects in the Jammu region on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two construction workers and injuries to others. Both incidents occurred at construction sites affiliated with the ongoing Delhi-Amritsar-Katra (DAK) Expressway project.
The accidents have sparked outrage among fellow workers, who have raised serious concerns over inadequate safety measures and poor compensation policies for laborers on-site.
1.Pier Collapse in Samba:
The first incident took place at around 10:10 a.m. at Jakh Morh in the Vijaypur area of Samba district, situated along the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway. Workers were engaged in laying a pier for an under-construction flyover (Package-15 of the DAK Expressway) when the concrete structure suddenly collapsed.
According to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), a segment of the 11th span slipped from the launching machine and fell to the ground. Gotam Sahu, a 25-year-old laborer from Bihar, was crushed to death on the spot, while another worker sustained head injuries and was rushed to the hospital. The NHAI has announced immediate compensation of ₹10 lakh to Sahu’s next of kin. Following the collapse, local police initiated proceedings to ascertain the circumstances of the incident, amid reports that the contractor fled the scene shortly after the mishap.
2.Truck Hits Bridge Staging in Sidhra:
Later on Tuesday, a second fatal accident occurred in the Sidhra area of Jammu during the construction of a major bridge over the Tawi River, part of Package-18 of the expressway. According to an NHAI spokesperson, an overloaded truck crashed into the temporary staging and shuttering that supported a recently cast pier cap. The impact caused the staging to collapse and damaged the green concrete.
Budhi Singh, a laborer hailing from Ramban, sustained severe injuries in the collapse. He was quickly shifted to a nearby hospital but tragically succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The NHAI has stated that corrective and preventive measures will be implemented before work resumes at the affected site.
Following the tragedies, laborers at the Samba site voiced their anger, demanding a pension or a job for the deceased worker’s wife, who is left to care for three minor children. Workers alleged that contractors frequently ignore basic work safety measures and offer meager compensation amounts, sometimes as low as ₹1 lakh, to the families of those killed on the job.
Published by True Roots Media Network