Maintenance work on Mumbai's Khairani Road turned fatal on Wednesday after a 60-year-old pedestrian fell into an uncovered manhole during repair work and died. The incident occurred in the Sakinaka area, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to announce action against the contractor responsible for the work.
The deceased was identified as Aslam Isak Shaikh, a resident of Yadav Nagar in Sakinaka. According to police, workers employed by a private contractor had removed the manhole cover to carry out repairs on a water drainage grill near Sanman Hotel and S J Studio when the accident occurred.
Preliminary findings suggest that Shaikh was walking along the road while talking on his mobile phone when he accidentally stepped into the open manhole. Workers immediately tried to locate him by lowering a ladder into the drainage channel but were able to recover only his umbrella and slippers. The strong flow of water in the drain made it difficult to determine where he had been swept away.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade was informed soon after and launched a search and rescue operation. After several hours, firefighters located Shaikh's body inside the drainage channel and recovered it.
Investigation launched, BMC officials suspended
Police have registered the case and begun investigating whether adequate safety measures had been implemented at the maintenance site. Officials are examining whether the contractor had installed proper barricades, warning signs and other safety arrangements before removing the manhole cover.
Reacting to the incident, Mumbai Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said the BMC would take action against the contractor for leaving the manhole uncovered. He added that the civic body would investigate whether safety protocols had been violated during the maintenance work.
The incident has once again raised concerns about safety standards at civic work sites, particularly during the monsoon season when waterlogging and poor visibility significantly increase the risk of accidents.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, who visited the site, announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh for the family of Aslam Shaikh.
Describing the incident as "deeply unfortunate", Tawde acknowledged lapses in carrying out maintenance work during heavy rainfall. She said the manhole had initially been covered but was opened to install a safety grate. She added that the prevailing "Red Alert" and waterlogging would have made it extremely difficult for pedestrians to notice the uncovered manhole.
Tawde said such work should not have been undertaken during heavy rain and noted that she had repeatedly instructed officials to complete the installation of safety grates before the onset of the monsoon.
She also announced immediate action against the officials responsible, holding the ward officer primarily accountable and seeking her immediate suspension. In addition, she called for charges of culpable homicide to be filed against those responsible, stating that carrying out such work during a "Red Alert" and heavy rainfall reflected a serious administrative lapse.
Following the fatal incident, the BMC suspended four officials with immediate effect pending an inquiry, citing apparent negligence and carelessness in the execution of the drainage maintenance work.
The suspended officials are Assistant Commissioner Dhanaji Herlekar (L Ward), Assistant/Sub-Engineer Deepak Chowgule (L Ward), Junior Engineer Abhijit Chougule and Assistant Engineer Uttam Patil.
BMC cites negligent handling of work
In its suspension order, the civic body stated that the accident, in which a pedestrian fell into an open manhole on Khairani Road in Sakinaka around noon on Thursday, was the result of irresponsible execution of the maintenance work. It noted that despite repeated pre-monsoon review meetings and clear instructions regarding drainage safety, the incident led to a preventable loss of life.
The BMC has also constituted a four-member inquiry committee to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident and recommend measures to prevent similar accidents in the future. The committee comprises the Additional Municipal Commissioner (Suburbs), the Deputy Commissioner (General Administration), the Deputy Commissioner (Circle-I) and the Deputy Commissioner (Infrastructure).
According to the order, the committee will examine all aspects of the incident, including compliance with safety protocols during the maintenance work, identify lapses in supervision and execution, and submit its report to the civic administration within the stipulated timeframe.
The BMC further stated that although instructions had been issued to the contractor engaged by the L Ward for the drainage work, adequate safety precautions were not implemented despite the sensitive nature of the operation.
