Two pothole deaths in 15 days
According to residents, the Khambalpada Road, which connects Kalyan and Dombivali, is in bad condition.
Mumbai: After potholes claimed two lives in last 15 days, the lawyers said that a criminal complaint can be lodged against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner and the ward officers for neglecting the road repair work.
Santosh Shinde, a 42-year-old police constable, attached to Vile Parle police station, died a week after he suffered severe injuries in an accident on pothole-ridden on the Sion-Panvel highway. Shinde was heading to Nerul around 2 am on his bike. While he was crossing the Vashi village, his bike fell into a huge pothole on the road.
On August 23, a Navi Mumbai resident Lalit Jain (36), fell off his bike while trying to avoid a ditch on Khambalpada road in Dombivali MIDC. He died at a private hospital in Mulund on September 2. Jain, who owns a marble shop in Khambalpada, was returning home at 8 pm on August 23.
According to residents, the Khambalpada Road, which connects Kalyan and Dombivali, is in bad condition.
Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal corporations have made huge budgetary provisions to tackle the menace of potholes.
Advocate Advait Sethana, who is a counsel in a petition filed against the potholes in Mumbai region said, “These are unfortunate incidents, but it can be avoided if corporations do their work properly.”
“People can file criminal complaints in the police station where the incident has occurred. The complaint can be filed against Municipal Commissioner or ward officer” said Mr Sethana.
He added that family persons of the deceased and injured persons will have to file a criminal complaint.
Advocate V.P. Patil has appeared in the court on behalf of the family of a woman who died due to a pothole in Wadala three years ago. Mr Patil claimed the victim’s family got '2 lakh compensation after they approached the HC through a writ petition.
Mr Patil said, “First people should register a criminal case for negligence with a local police station, and the name of corporation’s commissioner or ward officer can be mentioned in it.”