A 45-year-old man died after falling into an open well in Mumbai’s Sakinaka area on Thursday. The dead person has been identified as Aslam Sheikh.
of PTI the report identified the deceased as 55-year-old Aslam Easaf Shaikh
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fire brigade and other agencies were involved in the operation to rescue Aslam Sheikh but to no avail.
This is the second death in Mumbai due to the apathy of Asia’s richest civic body BMC. Earlier, an 11-year-old Ahan Srivastav was killed after a tree fell on his school van.
Meanwhile, the BMC claimed that Aslam Sheikh was talking on the phone and did not notice the well. The entire area was waterlogged, so the well would not have been visible to Aslam, he said. More importantly, the contractors who had undertaken the well cleaning work forgot to display a signboard and also left it uncovered leading to Aslam’s death, the BMC said.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawade said she has ordered an inquiry and after receiving the report, action will be taken against those responsible for the incident.
Footage from a CCTV camera installed on Khairani Road showed Aslam walking ahead of a pace and suddenly disappearing.
It also showed workers on site looking into the open pit.
Officials said workers lowered a ladder into the wells to search for him, but found only his umbrella and slippers.
It was not immediately clear whether the well was connected to a sewer line or a sewer.
Due to the strong current of the water, it was initially not possible to determine the direction in which he was involved, officials said.
