The Bombay High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the recent death of a man who fell into an open manhole in Mumbai's Sakinaka area, questioning the civic body's failure to ensure public safety.
Hearing a public interest litigation on recurring manhole-related fatalities, the court observed that such incidents continue to occur despite repeated directions issued over the years. The judges expressed concern over the lack of accountability and asked whether the civic administration was waiting for more lives to be lost before implementing effective safety measures.
The court also questioned Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide over the measures taken by the BMC to prevent similar accidents and directed the civic body to submit a detailed affidavit outlining the steps implemented to secure open manholes, especially during the monsoon season.
The observations came in the wake of the death of a 55-year-old man, who was swept into an open manhole during heavy rainfall in Sakinaka. Preliminary investigations found that safety barricades and warning signs were missing at the site, prompting the BMC to suspend four officials and initiate disciplinary action against those responsible.
The High Court stressed that public safety cannot be compromised and said civic authorities must adopt strict preventive measures to ensure such tragedies are not repeated. The matter is expected to come up for further hearing after the BMC files its compliance report.
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