Mumbai: After HC rap, civic chief gives ward officials Aug 21 deadline

Potholes at Goregaon-Mulund Link road on July 25. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Following the Bombay High Court's directive for physical inspections of manholes, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner I S Chahal has instructed all 24 ward offices to ensure that manholes within their jurisdiction are covered. A comprehensive report is to be submitted by 10 am on August 21. Expert advocates designated by the High Court, along with the respective assistant commissioners, will jointly conduct inspections starting August 21. A report, bearing their joint signatures, will be submitted to the court. Furthermore, instructions have been issued to fit protective nets on 6,308 manholes. A report on the manhole assessment is to be furnished to the Bombay High Court within three weeks.

Addressing the issue on Friday, the Bombay High Court emphasised that deaths resulting from poor road conditions, potholes, and manholes are not natural occurrences but rather a consequence of human actions. The court underscored the constitutional obligation of both the Maharashtra government and civic bodies to uphold the responsibility of maintaining safe and functional roads. Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor of the division bench also criticised the state government's inaction regarding the transfer of road maintenance and repair duties to the BMC, a suggestion made in court the previous year.

The court's scrutiny stems from a petition filed by advocate Ruju Thakker, seeking contempt action against civic authorities for non-compliance with the court's 2018 orders to rectify potholes along major roads in Mumbai and surrounding areas. In response to the court's directives, commissioners from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan Dombivili, Navi Mumbai, Vasai Virar, and Mira Bhayander municipal corporations appeared in court.

Municipal corporations were directed to submit comprehensive affidavits detailing their compliance with the 2018 order to eliminate potholes. Chief Justice Upadhyaya firmly conveyed, "Every day there is some incident. These are man-made. The cause of these deaths is not natural. It is man-made. You (government and civic bodies) have to stop this. It is your responsibility. You have a constitutional obligation."

BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal cited heavy rainfall as a contributing factor to the deteriorating road conditions. While efforts are made to repair roads as potholes emerge during the ongoing concreting process, the court remained unsatisfied. The state government and corporations were instructed to submit their affidavits, with a hearing scheduled for September 29.

Inputs from agencies