Kolkata, Sep 9 (IANS) The director of a Maritime Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, has been served a show-cause notice by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) for the death of a cadet on its campus earlier this year.
Vishal Verma, who was pursuing a BTech in marine engineering at the institute, received severe head injuries on April 5 after a basketball pole fell on him on campus. He died in the hospital within a few hours.
The institute informed the DGMA about the incident on April 7 and assured a detailed probe. The Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), Mumbai, however, carried out its own probe and submitted a report to the DGMA.
The show cause notice, dated September 7, was issued based on this report. “On 05.04.2026 at approximately 0735 hrs, Cadets Aryan Soni and Gaurav Sharma were proceeding towards Hostel-2, while Cadet Vishal Verma was passing through the basketball court area. A sound was heard and, upon turning around, the cadets observed that a basketball pole had collapsed and fallen on Cadet Vishal Verma, trapping him beneath the structure and causing severe injuries. The Duty Warden was informed, and emergency assistance was initiated,” the report by the MMD stated.
“The injured cadet was moved towards the sick bay; however, as the ambulance did not arrive, the injured cadet was thereafter shifted to MIMER Hospital in a private vehicle, where he was provided medical treatment. The cadet subsequently died at approximately 0951 hrs as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident,” it added.
The MMD’s preliminary inquiry further recorded that during repairs carried out in 2023, the poles of Basketball Court-A were found to have holes/corrosion at the same location where the basketball pole at Court-B that fell on the cadet subsequently fractured. At that time, the affected pole sections of Court-A were replaced.
However, in respect of Basketball Court-B and Court-C, only surface treatment/painting was carried out, and no proper structural assessment, integrity check or engineering evaluation was undertaken.
“Whereas, the preliminary inquiry records that the approach adopted for Court-B (casualty site) and Court-C appears to have been limited to treatment of visible rust after scraping, without any systematic assessment for thinning of metal, hidden corrosion, loss of structural material due to corrosion, or structural weakness at critical locations. It was also noted that no record of an engineering or structural assessment of these courts after the deterioration identified in 2023 was available,” the DGMA has said in its notice.
Although a safety committee existed at the MTI, no record was found indicating that the basketball structure at Court-B (casualty site) had been specifically reviewed or assessed by the Committee prior to the accident, it noted.
“Whereas, the basketball pole at Court-B, involved in the present incident, was found to have corrosion, thinning and loss of structural material at the location of failure, and the fracture at the weakened section was attributed in the inquiry to corrosion and wastage. The findings accordingly indicate that the structural condition of the failed pole had been compromised prior to the accident,” the top maritime body stated.
The MMD’s preliminary inquiry further observed that, despite the deterioration identified in similar basketball poles in 2023, there was no evidence of a campus-wide structural risk assessment of all basketball poles, including the poles at Court-B and Court-C, or of a comprehensive structural review of comparable sports and recreational infrastructure across the campus.
The findings, the DGMA has said, prima facie disclose deficiencies in the discharge of the MTI’s duty of care towards its cadets, who were residing, studying and using the campus facilities under the control, custody and management of the MTI.
The MTI, being responsible for the upkeep, maintenance and safe use of its campus infrastructure, was required to exercise reasonable care, due diligence, foresight and careful judgment appropriate to the risks that could reasonably be anticipated from such facilities, it said.
“In particular, the earlier identification of corrosion and deterioration in similar basketball structures in 2023 required the MTI to undertake appropriate consideration of the structural condition and, where warranted, technical assessment, preventive maintenance and corrective action. The material presently available therefore raises a prima facie question as to whether the MTI discharged its responsibility to identify and address the structural hazard arising from the deteriorated condition of the facility and took reasonable and practicable precautions to safeguard its cadets from harm,” the notice said.
“Whereas, DGS Circular No. 23 of 2O2O requires Maritime Training Institutes to maintain an effective Quality Standards System for continuous monitoring and compliance with applicable requirements under Regulation I/8 of the STCW Convention, including effective internal audits, identification of deficiencies, corrective action and root-cause analysis. Deficiencies in the Quality Standards System are required to be treated as major non-conformities and may attract further regulatory action where not satisfactorily rectified,” it added.
The DGMA has also pointed to Para 2.19 of DGS Order No. 07 of 2016 that requires the MTI to maintain arrangements for medical emergencies, including a first-aid dispensary, daily availability of a doctor and arrangements with a nearby hospital/clinic.
The said provision further requires that a vehicle with a driver at the Institute’s cost be available round the clock to cater to medical emergencies. “The preliminary inquiry records that, following the accident, the MTI ambulance did not arrive, and the injured cadet was therefore shifted to MIMER Hospital in a private vehicle,” it has said.
The director of the MTI has been directed to reply within 15 days of receipt of the show-cause notice, failing which action may be taken.
–IANS
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