Hc Seeks Compliance Report On Open Manholes, Legal News, ET LegalWorld – Legal Firms

An advocate who moved an application in the Bombay high court in a pending contempt on potholes cited a November 8 report in TOI on the death of a 68-year-old woman after she fell into an open manhole in Virar. The news report quoted an activist as saying that several manholes in Vasai had missing lids and there had been cases where people and animals had fallen into these.

The Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation advocate said the manhole was only three feet deep. As she sought time to file an affidavit on the steps taken to cover the manholes, a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Abhay Ahuja said they would hear the matter again on Monday.

Ruju Thakker, the petitioner, then submitted the pictures of the manholes. Two of these were shot by TOI citizen reporters on Turner Road in Bandra and near Bhayandar railway station.

“On the Eastern Express Highway between Mulund and Ghatkopar there are several open manholes,” she said, explaining that these are on the road and footpath dividing the service road and the EEH.

The judges told senior advocate Anil Sakhare, who appeared for the BMC, that if it was true then they wanted a compliance report by Monday that “after it was reported immediate action was taken”.

From September 29, the ownership of EEH and the Western Express Highway has been with the BMC.

The judges also enquired about compliance in respect of potholes following the September 30 assurance given by municipal commissioner and administrator Iqbal Chahal to repair these and to concretise all roads within three years. The high court had then said that it would monitor the compliance every two months.