Mumbai: A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fact-finding committee has blamed both the contractor and officials from the K East ward’s maintenance department for lapses that led to the July 2 death of a 55-year-old man who fell into an uncovered manhole in Sakinaka, according to civic sources familiar with the inquiry.
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The Congress leader urged the civic administration to immediately release the complete inquiry report, initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible if warranted, and ensure justice for the deceased’s family.
The incident occurred on July 2 during heavy rainfall on Khairani Road in Sakinaka, when Shaikh was swept into an uncovered, 25-foot-deep stormwater drain manhole concealed beneath floodwaters. The incident triggered widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of the BMC’s monsoon preparedness and safety protocols at civic work sites.
Akbar Shaikh, the victim’s younger brother, said, “My brother’s family has got a ₹4 lakh cheque. He has one 24-year-old son who works and lives on Khairani road, and a 26-year-old married daughter. We are not aware of any report. We have just got one payment.”
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The findings are significant because they assign responsibility not only to the contractor carrying out the work but also to civic officials responsible for supervising it. This is a departure from the BMC’s inquiry into the June 30 Chembur tree-fall death, where action was primarily recommended against the contractor and consultant, while officials from the garden and roads departments reportedly received a clean chit.
According to a BMC official familiar with the committee’s report, the contractor had been appointed specifically to install protective grills on manholes at the site of the mishap. “The irony is that the contractor was hired to make the manholes safer by fixing grills, but the fatality occurred while this work was underway,” the official said.
The committee, headed by the additional municipal commissioner (western suburbs), found that work was in progress at the time of the incident, but mandatory safety measures, such as barricading the work site and displaying warning signs, were not in place. “It is due to lapses on the contractor’s side and the engineers who failed to monitor the site. The work area was not barricaded, and no safety precautions were taken,” the official said.
The contractor involved, who specialises in manufacturing and supplying manhole grills and covers, has allegedly been absconding since the incident, officials added.
The inquiry has also flagged supervisory lapses by two officials in the K East ward’s maintenance department. According to officials, the work was assigned in May but carried out only in July, and no formal work order had been issued.
“There are supervisory lapses by the ward’s maintenance staff. They were expected to supervise the work while it was being executed. They will not get a clean chit. Staff from the K East ward maintenance department will be held accountable,” said the official quoted earlier.
The committee has also recommended several standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety measures to prevent similar manhole-related accidents, including stricter supervision of ongoing works and mandatory safety protocols at excavation and maintenance sites.
‘Administrative failure’
Meanwhile, Congress leader Ashraf Azmi wrote to BMC chief Ashwini Bhide on Friday, demanding that the civic body immediately make the inquiry report public and initiate stringent action against those found guilty.
In his letter, Azmi described the death of Aslam Isak Shaikh as “an administrative failure of the highest order” and alleged that the contractor had opened the manhole without adequate barricades, warning signs or safety personnel despite ongoing maintenance work.
Azmi also questioned the BMC’s annual claims of monsoon preparedness despite spending hundreds of crores of rupees on desilting, drain maintenance and public safety.
“Immediately after the tragedy, the municipal corporation announced the suspension of four officials, blacklisting of the contractor and an inquiry. Nearly one month has passed. Where is the inquiry report? Who has been held responsible? Has anybody been punished?” he wrote.
