No work order, missed deadline: BMC probe finds several lapses

3 min readMumbaiJul 3, 2026 09:04 PM IST

Spot picture of the manhole. (Express Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s preliminary probe into Thursday’s incident at Saki Naka, where 55-year old Aslam Isaq Shaikh died after falling into a manhole on which civic workers were installing a protective grill, has found several lapses at the spot, including no formal work order, which is a direct violation of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act.

“Our preliminary inquiry has revealed no work orders were issued for the work, which was being executed in the absence of civic officials who are required to be present at the site for supervision, according to the rules,” a source told The Indian Express. The source added that there are 75 manholes in L ward, which covers the Saki Naka, Chandivali area where Thursday’s incident was reported, out of which manhole covers were installed on 71 while work at four sites were pending.

Thursday’s incident took place at Khairani road when the civic body-appointed contractors from the local ward office had opened a manhole for installing protective grills along the sewer lines that were flowing beneath the road. Aslam was walking on the road, while he lost his balance and fell into the manhole.

The inquiry was carried out by a delegation of civic engineers from the sewerage operations department led by additional municipal commissioner Avinash Dhakane.

Earlier in May, while chairing a meeting on BMC’s monsoon preparedness, Mumbai’s municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide had mandated that all the pre-monsoon works including installation of grills in manholes are to be completed by May 31. However, civic officials said in L ward work started late for which they missed the deadline by a month, which was a direct violation of the BMC’s administrative order. Sources also maintained they did not seek any written permission from higher authorities seeking any extension of deadline for the pre-monsoon work by highlighting reasons that may have caused the delay in completion of the work.

“Some ward officials have given us an explanation that till the end of May they were busy in other pre-monsoon work like completion of stormwater drains, desilting and supervising road concretising work. So they wanted to complete the work of installing manhole grills at the earliest and allowed contractors to work, without issuing any formal work order,” the official added.

The BMC has also questioned the contractor associated with the work. However, officials said they have so far failed to receive a satisfactory explanation about who authorised the activity or why it was undertaken without official sanction.

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The findings have also raised questions over why the work was being executed during the monsoon. As per the MMC Act, road and stormwater drain works are generally halted after May 31, unless there is an emergency. “There was an active wet spell at the time, and under such circumstances permission for such work would not ordinarily have been granted,” another official said.

On Thursday, the civic administration suspended four officers including an assistant municipal commissioner following the death incident of the 55 year old man. The investigating committee will prepare a report and submit to the commissioner next week with their findings.

Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.

Expertise & Authority

Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.

Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:

Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.

City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.

Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:

National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.

State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.

Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.

Experience

Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:

Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).

Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.

Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More

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