MUMBAI: BJP's alliance partner, Shiv Sena Corporator and Mumbai's deputy mayor, Sanjay Gadhi, has demanded the resignation of Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawade and BMC chief Ashwini Bhide after a 60-year-old Aslam Sheikh lost his life after falling into an uncovered manhole at Sakinaka in Mumbai on Thursday.
Gadhi said that he had already warned about the open manholes and pending tenders for covering the manholes, and despite that, no action was taken by either the Mayor and BMC chief. He, therefore, stated that both people should take responsibility for the death of the person and resign from their respective posts.
Reacting to this development, the BMC chief Ashwini Bhide ordered the probe, suspending the L – Kurla ward's assistant municipal commissioner Dhanaji Harlekar and four other officers for not covering the manholes and holding them responsible for the death of Aslam Sheikh at Saki Naka in Mumbai.
Gadhi, inspecting the site, said that he had not only written the letter to BMC chief Ashwini Bhide but also met in person and informed that the manholes covering the tender have been pending and need to be cleared and covered.
"But our commissioner did not react to or act on my demand. She listens stoically without any reaction. We elected representatives are blamed and criticised for not doing the work. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawade and BMC chief Ashwini Bhide should take the responsibility of this incident and step down immediately," Ghadi said.
"How many innocent people do they want to kill?. We have given evidence on how the manholes are kept uncovered, and the photographs were also attached, but no action was taken. If the Mayor and the BMC commissioner had acted on our letter, the person (Aslam Sheikh) would not have died. The administrators need to be sensitive towards the people's issues. The accountability of these people needs to be fixed," Ghadi said.
"I have apprised our leader, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and asked him to take strict action. We are accountable to people. We cannot let the people die in open manholes," Gandhi said.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said the BMC will file a case against the contractor, holding him responsible for "homicide".
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora also targeted the alliance-led BMC over the incident.
"Another life lost. Another preventable tragedy. How many more Mumbaikars must die before basic civic safety becomes a priority? Open manholes are not "accidents"; they are the result of negligence, failed systems & a lack of accountability. The Bombay High Court has repeatedly pulled up BMC over the recurring menace of open manholes and unsafe roads. Yet these entirely avoidable tragedies continue. Mumbai deserves answers," he posted.
Aslam Sheikh was killed after being swept into a manhole amid heavy rain in Mumbai on Thursday. The incident took place around 12:30 pm on the Khairani Road, which connects the western suburbs of Andheri-Saki Naka and Jogeshwari to the central areas of Kurla and Ghatkopar, when he was reportedly talking on his mobile phone.
His umbrella and slippers were found at the spot, and a search operation involving the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the police, and the 108 emergency ambulance service was launched to trace him.
His body was recovered about two hours later.
