Five days after 45-year-old Vimal Anil Gaikwad died – she fell into an open manhole she could not see on a waterlogged road in Mumbai’s Andheri – an internal report seems to have cleared the city’s civic body, which faces charges of negligence, of any responsibility.
In a statement released Monday evening the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said a “high-level inquiry” found the suburban Andheri road on which the horrific incident occurred is within the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited and the contractor, Larsen & Toubro.
The municipal body said the accident site and surrounding area had been “in possession of MMRCL and L&T since 2015”, and also claimed it had flagged “errors” found during a site inspection.
“It was submitted to MMRCL, via letters dated August 24 and August 29, 2024 to L&T, that the Municipal Corporation is bound to meet any defects during the Defect Liability Period (DLP).”
“Overall, it is concluded MMRCL and L&T are responsible for making good the defects at the accident sites,” the municipal body said, stressing also that its officials “have taken action from time to time”.
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However, the city authority also acknowledged, since the road is a main road, the concerned municipal staff should have been vigilant when a red alert, for heavy rainfall, was declared.
The tragic incident took place at 9.20 pm near Gate 8 of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation office in Andheri East. Heavy rainfall had led to the street being fully flooded.
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Mumbai police and fire brigade personnel took her to a local hospital where she was declared dead.
The cops have filed an ADR, or accidental death report.
Ms Gaikwad’s husband, who filed a police complaint, said his wife was the family’s breadwinner. “I am a sick man… my wife used to take care… We have lost everything and I want that whoever is at fault should be punished,” he said.
Rain lashed Mumbai last week, inundating several roads and affecting flights at the city airport.
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At least seven persons have died in separate manhole incidents in Mumbai this year.
The drain deaths also reveal a rise in thefts of manhole covers in the city.
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In 2023, Mumbai recorded 791 manhole cover thefts. Manhole covers are made of cast iron and fetch a good price – Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 – in the black market, making them a preferred target of petty thieves.
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