A 17-year-old boy sustained injuries on Tuesday after an iron rod from an ongoing road project in Mumbai’s Vidyavihar flew off from the project site and struck him on the head, raising concerns over a lack of adequate precautionary measures on work sites.

The victim has been identified as Deven Jain (17), a student who was passing by the project site when the incident occurred. The teen was taken to the civic-run Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar, where his condition remains stable.

Deven Jain is a first-year student of Somaiya College.

The incident was reported around 3.50 pm on Tuesday along the station road near Vidyavihar East’s R N Gandhi School.

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According to the information shared by a senior BMC official, the civic body was working on a road-widening project in Vidyavihar when the incident occurred. An iron rod from the ongoing work site flew during demolition and struck Jain.

According to local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Pravin Chheda, the civic authorities did not erect warning signs or safety barricades while carrying out the demolition work.

In a letter to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Chheda has demanded strict legal action against the concerned civic officials and contractors for lapses in precautionary measures and endangering the student’s life.

“Jain suffered serious injuries to his head in this horrific accident and was seriously injured. It is extremely worrying and irresponsible to work on the busy, main road in such a careless manner. Owing to the carelessness, the life of a student has been put at risk,” wrote Chheda in the letter.