Mumbai: 25-year-old falls in Kurla open manhole, dies

The manhole into which the labourer slipped and died. BMC said that it would fix responsibility.

A 25-year-old man died after falling into an open manhole in Kurla (East) on Friday night. According to the BMC disaster management unit, the incident took place between 10.15 -10.30 pm at Kurla signal near Eastern Express Highway.

The deceased, identified as Dinesh Prakash Jatholiya, was a native of Rajasthan. Eight years ago, he came to Mumbai to work.

Nehru Nagar police have registered a case of negligence against unknown persons. An investigator told The Sunday Express: “Deceased Dinesh Jatholiya was going back home after attending a marriage on Friday evening. There was an open manhole near Kurla signal, he fell into it and died. We will investigate to find out who is responsible.” His body was recovered early on Saturday morning.

The deceased, the police claimed, was employed as a labourer in Kurla. The investigators have informed his family members and they are expected to reach Mumbai on Sunday.

The local residents in the area said they had been facing problems because of the open drain since the last few days. They alleged that the civic body had failed to take necessary action on the open drain before the onset of monsoon.

Aayaz Gawathe, a local resident said, “There are several uncovered manholes in the area. After we had complained some of them were covered, however, few are still open. We had been complaining about this for a year.”

The body of the deceased has been shifted to the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital at Sion for autopsy and a probe has been initiated, BMC officials said.

A senior official from BMC’s storm water drain said, “We are investigating as to who left the drain open and why. It is a box drain and was not supposed to be left uncovered. Once we investigate the matter, we will fix the responsibility and take necessary action.”