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Bombay High Court Calls Exposed Manholes As 'Death Traps,' Orders BMC To Cover Immediately
Writer: Deepthi Rao
She is a postgraduate student pursuing Multimedia Journalism at Christ Deemed to be University. She believes in the power of storytelling and truth. "Do it with passion or not at all."
Maharashtra, 23 Nov 2022 12:18 PM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
The Bombay HC termed exposed manholes as 'death traps' amidst a rise in unfortunate incidents and ordered the civic body, BMC, to cover them by November 28 and submit a compliance report by December 1.
The Bombay High Court issued orders for the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to immediately cover any exposed manholes after referring to them as "death traps" on Tuesday, November 22. The statement by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Abhay Ahuja came during the hearing of petitions raising concerns over potholes on city roads leading to increased road accidents.
According to advocate Ruju Thakker, representing one of the petitioners, on the Eastern Express Highway service road, there are over 300 open utility holes. She alleged that despite several complaints to the authorities, not a single had been sealed, The Indian Express reported.
Respite For Residents
The judge requested Anil Sakhare, the BMC's counsel, to confirm this claim. Further, the court ordered the local authority to produce a compliance report on December 1 and demanded that all open manholes be sealed by November 28.
Thakker mentioned a recent instance from Vasai when a woman died after falling into an exposed pothole. The Vasai Virar Corporation's advocate, Swati Sagwekar, then stated that there were only a few open utility holes that were less than three feet deep. In response, Chief Justice Datta questioned if three-foot open manholes aren't death hazards.
Concerns Over Rising Accidents
The HC reminded the civic body of the city commissioner, Iqbal Chahal's pledge to patch potholes and maintain roads and pointed out that, according to press sources, certain contracts in this area have been cancelled.
It also reminded the BMC that the city's utility holes in "20 Worst Roads" had to be repaired by the deadline, December 1. The BMC attorney responded by saying that the process is ongoing. Recently, a 62-year-old woman accidentally fell into an uncovered manhole and died on Monday, November 7, in Virar.
Despite the end of the monsoon season, Mumbai faces the wrath of unfortunate incidents caused by exposed potholes. Earlier this year, the BMC began using iron netting to cover utility holes to prevent similar occurrences. According to the civic body, 3,679 iron nets have been put around the city, with 2,945 nets installed in the city and 293 and 441 nets installed in the eastern and western suburbs, respectively.
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