NEW DELHI, July 2: A 55-year-old man was killed after being swept in a manhole amid heavy rains in Mumbai on Thursday.
The incident took place around 12:30 pm on the Khairani Road, which connects the western suburbs of Andheri-Saki Naka and Jogeshwari to the central areas of Kurla and Ghatkopar, when he was reportedly talking on his mobile phone.
The victim was identified as Aslam Esaf Shaikh. He was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. His umbrella and slippers were found at the spot, and a search operation involving the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the police, and the 108 emergency ambulance service was launched to trace him. His body was recovered about two hours later.
The manhole cover had been left open due to ongoing maintenance work being carried out by a private contractor, officials said. Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said the city’s civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will file a case against the contractor, holding him responsible for “homicide.” The BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has suspended 4 officials, including the Assistant Commissioner of L Ward, Dhanaji Herlekar, along with engineers Deepak Chougule, Abhijit Chougule, and Uttam Patil. Mayor Ritu Tawde has also announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased.
The incident comes two days after an 11-year old boy was killed and four others were injured when a tree uprooted and collapsed on their moving school bus that was ferrying students in Mumbai’s Chembur area. The BMC suspended an official, saying that a preliminary inquiry found prima facie negligence on his part.
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Thursday, leading to waterlogging in many prime locations, including Dadar, Parel, Hindmata, Charkop, Worli, Goregaon and Andheri. Several areas logged more than 200 mm of rainfall over the last 24 hours, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
As per the BMC, the eastern suburbs received the highest average rainfall of 189 mm in the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Thursday, followed by 172 mm in the island city and 165 mm in the western suburbs. Santacruz SWM Workshop and the S Ward Office in Bhandup recorded the highest rainfall at 238.8 mm each, followed by Paspoli Municipal School in Powai (234.6 mm), Tagore Nagar Municipal School in Vikhroli (233.2 mm), Mithagar Municipal School in Mulund (226 mm), Andheri Fire Station (225.4 mm), F South Ward Office at Parel (222 mm) and G South Ward Office at Prabhadevi (220.4 mm).
Local train services, considered Mumbai’s lifeline, were also hit due to water accumulation on tracks, with commuters saying trains were running 10 to 15 minutes behind schedule in the morning. The railways, however, said services were running “smoothly and normally.”
(Manas Dasgupta)
