Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) The death of elderly man Aslam Shaikh, who fell into an open manhole during heavy rains in Mumbai, triggered a political storm on Friday, with the Congress terming the incident an administrative failure, while the BJP and Shiv Sena blamed years of mismanagement by the previous Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration.

Speaking to IANS, Congress MLA Amin Patel described the incident as a complete administrative failure and questioned the use of funds allocated for Mumbai’s drainage system.

“This is an administrative failure. Crores of rupees meant for Mumbai’s drainage system have gone to waste. Two people have lost their lives, including an 11-year-old child and a 55-year-old elderly man. The Maharashtra government should announce compensation of Rs 25 lakh each for the families of both victims,” he said.

Patel also claimed that the civic response to rain-related emergencies had been inadequate.

“I saw two girls trapped inside a shop due to flooding, and neither the police nor the municipal administration reached them in time. It was local residents who rescued them. The municipal corporations of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane have failed. The government must take immediate and strict action because this is only the beginning of the monsoon, with nearly four months of the rainy season still remaining,” he added.

Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh also criticised the authorities, saying preventive measures should have been taken much earlier.

“This work should have been completed earlier. Were the authorities waiting for more people to die after the first accident? Strict action must be taken against anyone whose negligence results in the loss of life. Even after the High Court’s directions, open manholes are not being covered,” he said.

Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Shaikh held the BJP-led civic administration responsible for the incident.

“The BJP leadership in the BMC, including the Mayor and the Standing Committee Chairman, must take responsibility. Since the new council came into power, its focus has been elsewhere instead of civic issues. The Mayor of Mumbai should apologise to the people of the city,” he said.

Responding to the criticism, BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said the administration should certainly be held accountable but blamed the previous Shiv Sena-UBT-led BMC administration for the city’s infrastructure problems.

“The administration should be held accountable for this tragedy. However, it will take time to clean up the mess created by Shiv Sena-UBT during its 25 years of control over the Mumbai Municipal Corporation,” he said.

Shiv Sena MLC Bacchu Kadu called for a comprehensive review of such incidents. “These incidents are becoming frequent. A committee should be formed to examine all such cases over the last two to three years and recommend measures to prevent them in the future,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande questioned the functioning of civic officials responsible for maintaining roads, footpaths, and trees.

“Many officials are busy collecting illegal payments and ignoring their actual responsibilities. Maintenance work should begin in April so that the city is prepared before the monsoon,” she said.

Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Vasant Kesarkar said: “This is a deeply tragic incident. Strict action should be taken against all those responsible, including the concerned officials and the contractor. They should face the harshest punishment under the law.”

–IANS

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