The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has targeted to make around 1.19 lakh manholes safe with grills. In the last 6 years, BMC has succeeded in installing protective grills on 6,300 manholes. mid-day had done extensive coverage on the missing manhole covers of the city leading to a major syndicate operating from the neighbouring state of Gujarat.

In 2017, after the death of Mumbai’s top gastroenterologist Dr Deepak Amrapukar, who fell into an open manhole, BMC decided to put safety grills on all manholes. However, recently, the Bombay High Court slammed BMC over the delay in making the manholes safe.

After the high court’s criticism, BMC decided to cover the remaining 1.19 lakh manholes with safety grills. The BMC has invited tenders to put protective grills on 256 manholes in the city area. “We are going to explore new materials for protective grills,” said a BMC official. “We are going to use fibre, iron, and ductile iron grills. We will examine the cost and quality of the material. After that, we will submit a report to the court and take a final decision after the court’s order,” he added.

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According to the BMC, there are around 1.25 lakh manholes in Mumbai. Of these, the BMC has managed to cover 1,800 manholes on sewage drains and 4,500 manholes on stormwater drains with safety grills. Their grills are made of ductile iron, which cost Rs 8,500 each. Civic activist Anil Galgali expressed doubt on BMC’s speed. “Only 6,300 grills were installed in six years, and there is a question whether 1.19 lakh grills will be installed in a year,” Galgali said. “To complete this task, BMC needs to work with a proper plan.”

Another activist, Nikhil Desai, said that BMC can complete the task, but not with its traditional working style. “They need to work with a proper plan,” Desai said. BMC officials claim they can complete the task by covering all manholes with grills before the next monsoon. “We have covered the manholes with protective grills which are in flooding and low-lying areas, where waterlogging occurs in monsoon,” said an official.

mid-day’s coverage had also unearthed a syndicate of scrap dealers that is the mastermind behind this illicit operation. These scrap dealers sell the stolen manhole covers to larger dealers in Gujarat. The officials think there is a large syndicate at play, indicating a more intricate operation than initially perceived. There are also drug addicts in the city who steal manhole covers as a desperate measure to make some money.

1.25L
Total manholes in Mumbai

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