In another move to ensure all manholes are covered, from this week, ward officers will be accompanied by advocates appointed by the Bombay high court during their rounds. The city has about 74,000 manholes of which 6,308 under the BMC have been installed with protective grills, a circular from the civic chief said.
All ward officers to submit report on manholes in 3 weeks
Advocates will now accompany BMC ward officers on their rounds to check if manholes are covered. In a circular issued by municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal on August 11, civic officers were informed that a CJI-led Bombay high court bench had directed that the court appoint advocates ward-wise.
Following the joint inspection, all officers will be required to submit a verification report within three weeks from August 11.
Meanwhile, a senior BMC official said ward officers, in their certification on manholes, had mentioned the number they had inspected and whether the top layer lid was found intact.
The dangers posed by open manholes was underscored by the unfortunate death of renowned gastroenterologist Dr Deepak Amrapurkar in August 2017. The doctor had fallen into an open manhole during heavy rainfall near Elphinstone Road.
Meanwhile, the theft of manhole covers poses a challenge to the civic body. These covers, made of cast iron, fetch a significant price when sold as scrap.
In the event of theft, the ward promptly notifies the local police station and efforts are made to replace the missing cover as swiftly as possible. However, the varied shapes of manholes also pose a big challenge to authorities.
