Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to issue a tender of Rs 31 crore for the installation of safety grills at Mantralaya to prevent suicide attempts in future.
The move comes in the wake of a farmer who tied to jump out of an open window from Mantralaya last month. Chief minister Devendra Fadanavis has given a nod and the tenders will be issued soon.
Last month, Dyaneshwar Salve (28), a distressed farmer from Osmanabad district had made a suicide attempt from a window ledge at Mantralaya on the seventh floor.
He had threatened to jump if the government did not fulfil the farmers' demands he had mentioned in a memorandum.
The police and ministers negotiated with Mr Salve and eventually convinced him to return to safe ground.
“We are soon going to issue a tender of Rs 31 crore to install grills in the annex part of Mantralay building. The old part has huge open windows that need to be protected to prevent any such incidents,” said an official from the Public Works Department.
The home department inspected the building after Mr Salve's episode and made recommendations for the grills. Sources from the home department said, "Even the CM was worried about Mantralay's security and wanted some strong steps to prevent any untoward incidence. The grills will help in maintaining security as the police cannot be deployed at every place." The home department has already introduced photo passes for the visitors entering Mantralaya that goes into the government records.
In September, Bhairavnath Jadhav (55), a farmer from Ahmednagar too had attempted suicide at Mantralay by consuming insecticide on the first floor of the building.
