Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-appointed high-level probe committee has held Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd and its contractor responsible for the death of a woman, who fell into a storm water drain here during last week’s downpour.
In a release on Monday, the BMC cited the committee’s probe report and noted the responsibility for rectifying the faults at the accident site in Andheri in the western suburbs and surrounding areas lies squarely with MMRCL and its contractor L&T as the location had been under their control since 2015.
On September 25 night, a 45-year-old woman, Vimal Anil Gaikwad, fell into a storm water drain in the SEEPZ area of Andheri (East) amid heavy rains and lost her life.
Following the tragedy, the Mumbai civic body appointed a three-member high-level committee to investigate the circumstances of her death and submit a report within three days.
Before the tragedy, the BMC had informed L&T of the deficiencies at the incident site, and letters were sent to MMRCL on August 24 and 29, 2024, highlighting the need for corrective measures under the defect liability period (DLP), the release said.
“Our team will check all the facts and respond suitably,” Ashwini Bhide, managing director of MMRCL, which is constructing the 33.5-km-long underground metro corridor 3 of Mumbai between Colaba, SEEPZ and Aarey Colony, told PTI.
The panel pointed out that BMC officials should have also taken steps to address the issue and emphasized civic staffers should have been more vigilant, especially as the area was a main road and a red alert had been issued for heavy rainfall, said the release.
The probe panel was headed by deputy municipal commissioner (Zone 3) Devidas Kshirsagar, while Mumbai Fire Brigade chief Ravindra Ambulgekar and chief engineer (Vigilance) Avinash Tambewagh were its members. PTI KK RSY
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