Petitioners urge court to hold municipal and government bodies responsible for road fatalities

July 18, 2024

Petitioners have appealed to the High Court, urging that the municipal commissioner and relevant government bodies be held accountable for deaths caused by potholes. A contempt petition claims that the municipal corporation and other government agencies have failed to maintain Mumbai’s roads adequately. The High Court is expected to deliver a final verdict on this matter soon. Advocate Ruzu Thakkar has submitted a written request to the court. He has asked the court to consider the deplorable condition of roads during this monsoon season, with numerous open manholes and potholes causing fatalities. Furthermore, the municipal commissioner and the concerned government agencies will be held responsible for it.

Last week, the bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar reserved the verdict on the contempt petition related to potholes. During the final arguments, the bench allowed Advocate Thakker to submit a written statement about the poor condition of roads this monsoon. Advocate Thakker highlighted incidents of accidental deaths due to potholes on Mumbai’s roads. For instance, on July 12, a child riding a motorcycle with his grandfather in Palghar died due to a pothole. On July 13, a teacher succumbed to a pothole-related accident in Virar West. Advocate Thakker has requested that the court hold the municipal commissioner or the concerned government agencies accountable for these incidents, in line with the High Court’s order dated December 7, 2022.

The court had issued various directives during the hearings of the public interest litigation and contempt petitions but their implementation remains largely on paper. The government claimed to have implemented a central grievance redressal system but in practice, this system is ineffective.

Complaints about potholes related to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s app have faced numerous issues, offering no real benefit to Mumbai residents. Furthermore, directives to make websites of the municipal corporation and various government agencies accessible to visually impaired individuals also remain unimplemented.