Bombay HC Slams TMC Over Bad Roads and Delayed Pothole Death Compensation
The Bombay High Court on Monday pulled up the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) over the poor condition of roads in Thane city and the delay in compensating victims of pothole-related accidents. A bench of Justices Ajey S Gadkari and Kamal R Khata directed the TMC Commissioner to personally look into the delayed compensation, which has been pending for over six months.
The court's directions came during a hearing on an interim application filed by lawyer Ruju Thakker in a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) concerning potholes, open manholes, and compensation for victims in Mumbai and its surrounding areas. Thakker highlighted the case of a toddler who died last year after falling into a stormwater drain in Thane, noting that the family has yet to receive compensation due to delays in the relevant committee's meetings.
Under existing court guidelines, civic authorities are bound to distribute compensation to victims or their next of kin within six weeks of an incident. The high court questioned why the TMC did not view the issue of compensation as serious, given the lengthy delays.
In the same hearing, the bench also scrutinized the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) regarding its progress in making roads motorable and secure. The BMC disclosed in an affidavit filed by Chief Engineer (Sewerage Operation) Anilkumar Bhoite that out of 73,437 manholes under its jurisdiction, 71,426 have protective grills. However, 2,011 manholes remain unprotected because they are currently buried or inaccessible.
The BMC also reported significant issues with theft, stating that 957 protective grills were stolen in the ‘A’ Ward alone, while the ‘H-West’ Ward recorded the highest number of missing, stolen, or tilted grills at 1,144 cases. The high court asked the BMC to provide details on the number of First Information Reports (FIRs) filed regarding these thefts.
The high court has directed the TMC to submit a compliance affidavit and the BMC to file its response before the next scheduled hearing on July 6.
