'Don't defame BMC for open manhole'

The BMC said that the society was responsible for maintaining the manhole. Pic/Ashish Raje

Reacting against the criticism on social media after Singapore-based fund manager Samir Arora slipped and fell into an open manhole on April 25 in Mahalaxmi, the BMC has issued a warning notice to the society, which was responsible for leaving the manhole open.

In the letter issued on Saturday, the civic officials from G South office have blamed the society for their negligence and also held them responsible for the "severe defamation" of the BMC.

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Last week, Arora was visiting the Phoenix Mills office on E Moses Road, when he slipped and fell into an open manhole that was overflowing. His story was shared by several people on Twitter. Neeraj Batra, Arora's friend, tweeted, "A dear friend fell in an open manhole yesterday outside Phoenix Mills... fortunately did not go down and was rescued. The public should throw some of these BMC guys down these open manholes."

Shree Laxmi Woolen Mills Estate society. Pic/Ashish Raje

In response, Arora wrote that the experience was "scary as hell (and smelly)" and he was able to get out with a few scratches. He then took a dig at BMC and tweeted, "If BMC finds my Samsung phone in the drain, they can keep it with my compliments."

It later emerged that the BMC was not responsible for the manhole, since it is a part of the Shree Laxmi Woolen Mills Estate society. Devendra Kumar Jain, assistant municipal commissioner of G South office, pointed out that the society was carrying out certain repairs and had left the manhole uncovered. "The 2ft-deep manhole is part of the society's roadside drainage system and is maintained by the society itself. There was no barricading around the open manhole. Mr Arora's car was parked right next to it and, when he stepped out of the car, he slipped and fell into it," he said.

In the letter addressed to DM Shah, the director of the society, the BMC has sternly noted, "Due to the negligence of the private contractor and poor supervision of your staff, the accident occurred and it would have resulted in the death of Mr Samir Arora."

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Though, civic officials maintained that the letter was simply a warning, it also mentioned that despite having no role in the incident, the media and social media had held the BMC responsible for the accident. "This accident and false allegations made by the media have resulted in severe defamation of the BMC." The letter further stated that in case of any untoward incident in the future, strict legal action will be taken against the society.

When contacted, the manager said that minor work was being done at the manhole, which frequently overflowed. He actually blamed Arora for not being careful. "Whenever the manhole overflows, we call the sweeper to clean it. People had tried to warn his (Arora's) driver to not park near the manhole, but he didn't listen. He (Arora) should have been more careful while walking," he said. Despite several attempts, Arora could not be contacted for a response.

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