Mumbai: Delivering one of its strongest observations on Mumbai’s civic infrastructure in recent years, the Bombay High Court has pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the city’s deteriorating roads and unsafe manholes, asking the civic body to ensure that no lives are loss due to open manholes during the ongoing monsoon.
Hearing a long pending public interest litigation (PIL) on potholes and road safety, a Division Bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata expressed disappointement that mumbai continues to battle the same civic issues despite repeated court directions over the post two decades. The Bench remarkes that enough time had been lost and that it was time for the BMC to “wake up” and provide citizens with safe, motorable roads instead of temporary repairs that fail every monsoon.
The court questioned how much longer Mumbaikars would have to wait before every road under the BMC’s jurisdication becomes free of potholes and dangerous stretches. Referring to earlier judicial orders dating back to 2006, the judges observed that the condition of roads has shown little lasting improvement despite continuous monitoring by the court.
Expressing equal concern over manhole safety, the High Court sought a clear assurance from the civic body that no person would lose their life after failing into an open or uncovered manhole this monsoon. The Bench noted that every rainy season exposes thousands of pedestrians and motorists to avoidable risks and stressed that protecting lives is the primary responsibility of the municipal administration.
During the hearing, the BMC informed the court that protective safety grills have been installed on the majority of the city’s more than 73,000 manholes. However, around 2,000 manholes remain without grills as they are either buried or inaccessible. The judges directed the civic body to furnish complete details of these locations and explain the measures being taken to prevent accidents.
The Bench also sought details on the functioning of the BMC’s complaint mechanism for potholes and open manholes. It asked the corporation to submit photographs showing conditions before and after complaints are resolved and to provide information on FIRs registered in cases where metal manhole covers have allegedly been stolen.
The observations come at a time when Mumbai has already witnessed heavy monsoon showers, leading to waterlogging in several parts of the city. The issue of uncovered manholes gained renewed attention recently after a sanitation worker accidentally fell into an open manhole during the Mumbai Mayor’s inspection of rain hit areas, highlighting the dangers posed by exposed drainage infrastructure.
The High Court has made it clear that recurring explanations and seasonal patchwork will no longer suffice. Instead, it expects permanent engineering solutions, strict accountability and timely action to ensure that Mumbai’s roads remain safe throughout the year. The matter will continue to remain under the court’s supervision as it reviews the BMC’s compliance with its directions in the coming hearings.
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