The Bombay High Court (HC) has summoned six municipal commissioners of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to explain the poor condition of roads and open manholes.
The six commissioners include Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC), Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). Additionally, the MMRDA secretary has also been asked to remain present.
A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Arif Doctor was irked to learn about frequent accidents even five years after the High Court's clear order on the issue. The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate Ruju Thakkar on the poor condition of the roads.
During hearing, Thakkar along with Advocate Jamshed Mistry submitted that the Vasai Virar civic body claims to spend over INR 2 crores, so lack of funds is not an issue.
After the court was shown a news report on potholes in Vasai-Virar, the judge asked the lawyer, "Is five years not enough to remove the potholes? You are clearly in contempt, your municipal commissioner to appear. Is it a regular feature during monsoon?"
"We are now in 2023, the judgment was passed five years back in 2018, there is a duty imposed on you by the legislature, there could be many incidents of death which are not even reported," the Court observed.
The court also ordered an inquiry into the death of a 32-year-old bike rider who was allegedly run over by a dumper while trying to save himself from a pothole. The probe was ordered after the KDMC denied that it was because of the pothole.
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