Woman dies after falling into drain in Mumbai, complaint filed against city administration

Death in Mumbai pit: The victim was identified as Vimal Anil Gaikwad.

Mumbai:

The Mumbai Police has filed a complaint against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and a contractor over the death of a 45-year-old woman who fell into a drain during heavy rain yesterday. The civic body has also ordered an inquiry into the incident, which took place late at night in Andheri. The victim has been identified as Vimal Anil Gaikwad.

Her husband, who had lodged the police complaint, said Vimal was the breadwinner of the family. “I am a sick man, my wife was taking care of my house. We have lost everything, I want the culprit to be punished. We have lodged a police complaint,” he said.

The BMC, which is accused of negligence, was told that it had formed a three-member committee headed by a deputy commissioner and was seeking a report within three days.

“A high-level inquiry committee comprising three members has been formed. Deputy Commissioner, Zone 3, Devidas Kshirsagar will chair the committee while Fire Chief Ravindra Ambulgekar and Chief Engineer (Quality) Avinash Tambe are the other two members,” the BMC said in a press release.

Heavy rains disrupted life in the financial capital yesterday, flooding tracks and roads. Traffic came to a standstill and at least 14 incoming flights were diverted.

During the heavy rain, Gaikwad fell into an overflowing manhole near gate number 8 of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation building in Andheri East. Police and firefighters rushed her to Cooper Hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

This year, at least seven people have been killed by manhole covers in Mumbai in separate incidents. The deaths also show that the number of manhole cover thefts is on the rise in the city. In 2023, 791 manhole cover thefts were recorded in Mumbai.