Credible sources have highlighted negligence from the management and security of Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) in the death of a Bangladeshi worker at a garbage site on Thilafushi industrial island.
Police said 24-year-old Amin Mia, who worked at the Thilafushi garbage site, died after being hit on the head by the excavator. A 32-year-old Sri Lankan man, Heshan Maduranga Disanayaka Menika, who operated the excavator, was arrested under a court order.
Although the incident occurred on January 26, the search operation intensified two days later, on January 28.
The Sri Lankan excavator operator works for a private company.
An official for the company accused WAMCO officials of trying to avoid responsibility and blaming the excavator operator.
The landfill is a high-security danger zone, and it is generally prohibited to enter the area. WAMCO has security guards to monitor the area. Questions have been raised as to why the security guards did not stop Amin Mia from entering the excavator operating area.
"The truth is that this is something that Bangladeshis frequently do. They go there to pick metal wires and iron. It is done by WAMCO employees. It is a very dangerous thing to do," an employee from Housing Development Corporation (HDC) said on condition of anonymity.
The excavator was operating in a "controlled environment. It is astounding that the supervisors on site did not notice when the excavator struck a man, who then got buried under the debris.
A person familiar with the matter said CCTV footage clearly shows Amin being hit on the head with the excavator.
"Why then did they start searching for him two days later? The truth is that the excavator operator cannot see the man. He will not even think that someone is in a controlled environment when he operates the machine," said an official of the company that rented the excavator.
The Sri Lankan man, Menika, was released after being produced before police on Wednesday (January 28), an official of the company said.
"He was summoned to the police because they feared the Bangladeshis might attack him. He was released that night and stayed in a Hulhumale' guesthouse," the official told Adhadhu.
Menika was arrested on Saturday night and taken to court yesterday (February 2). His remand was extended by seven days.
"Police say he is negligent, that he does not have a Maldivian licence. If there is negligence, WAMCO Managing Director Mujthaba, supervisors and security guards should also be arrested," the company official said.
WAMCO has not yet commented on the matter.
