High-Level Inquiry Committee Formed; Report to Be Submitted Within Seven Days
Mumbai, July 2: Following the tragic death of a 55-year-old man who fell into an open manhole during safety work in Kurla’s Saki Naka area on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has suspended four officials pending an inquiry and ordered a high-level investigation into the incident.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide ordered the suspension of L Ward Assistant Commissioner Dhanaji Herlekar, Assistant/Sub-Engineer Deepak Chougule, Junior Engineer Abhijit Chougule, and Assistant Engineer Uttam Patil pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Commissioner also directed that the contractor responsible for the work be blacklisted for alleged negligence in following mandatory safety protocols.
The incident occurred on Khairani Road while BMC’s Sewerage Operations Department was installing protective safety grilles over a manhole. Preliminary findings indicate that adequate barricading and safety measures were not in place. The victim, identified as Aslam Ishaq Shaikh (55), was reportedly walking along the road while talking on his mobile phone when he lost his balance and fell into the open manhole. Despite immediate rescue efforts by BMC personnel and the Mumbai Fire Brigade, he could not be saved.
To investigate the circumstances leading to the accident and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents, a high-level committee headed by the Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) has been constituted. The committee, comprising the Deputy Commissioners of General Administration, Zone VII, and Infrastructure, has been directed to submit its report within seven days.
Mayor Ritu Tawde has announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹10 lakh for the deceased’s family.
The BMC has also reiterated strict safety directives, making barricading around all manhole work mandatory. Additionally, all Additional Municipal Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners of the seven zones, and Assistant Commissioners of all 26 administrative wards have been instructed to conduct a 100 percent inspection of all manholes across Mumbai within the next eight days and submit a compliance report.
