Mumbai: A day after 55-year-old Sakinaka resident Aslam Isak Shaikh died after falling into an open, unbarricaded manhole, police arrested three contractual workers for negligence while a BMC inquiry found multiple procedural and safety violations, including the absence of a formal work order for installing protective nets along the sewage line, raising questions about why the work was undertaken.A BMC official privy to the case said, “Neither the area’s junior engineer nor the mukadam (supervisor) were informed about the work, meaning no civic supervision or inspection was carried out before or during the work. Had we been aware, a team from the ward would have been definitely sent to the site,” the official said.Civic officials said they tried to contact the contractor responsible for the work but did not get a satisfactory explanation on who authorised the activity or why it continued despite the absence of official approval.All road and storm water drain works have a May 31 deadline every year as no work is usually taken up during monsoon unless it’s an emergency. “There was also an ongoing wet spell, so there would never have been any permission itself issued to carry out any works as such,” said the official.However, civic sources said there were around four protection nets along manholes that were to be installed along the road, but such works are often carried out on an understanding that they would be completed in a short duration. The sources said the work meant to prevent falls into manholes led to Shaikh falling to his death.Meanwhile, Sakinaka police formed multiple teams to track the contractor after closed circuit television (CCTV) footage from Khairani Road, shot during heavy rain, showed no safety barricades or warning signs at the worksite.The four accused, including the contractor who is on the run, were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 3(5) (common intention). Police did not disclose the names of the accused, saying it could hamper the investigation.“The CCTV grabs at the worksite showed no sign board or barricade, due to which Shaikh, a resident of Yadav Nagar in Sakinaka, returning home from work on Thursday, slipped into the uncovered manhole and died,” said a police officer of Sakinaka police station.The case was registered on a complaint lodged by a BMC officer from L ward against the contractor and the workers engaged in the repair work.During the probe, police sought access to CCTV footage from a nearby hotel that captured the entire incident and showed civic workers working at the site without installing barricades or warning signs, in violation of prescribed safety norms. Shaikh was seen talking on his mobile phone moments before the accident.“Workers at the site immediately lowered a ladder into the manhole in an attempt to rescue him, but strong water currents hampered the search. Only his umbrella and slippers were initially recovered,” said the officer.Shaikh’s body was recovered near SJ Studio in Sakinaka at 1 pm on Thursday. He was taken to Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.Meanwhile, mayor Ritu Tawde conducted an on-site inspection of Cotton Green railway station, Reay Road, and Sewri fire station area and directed the Mumbai Port Trust to take proper measures for water drainage and for safety around manholes. During the inspection, it was noticed that water had accumulated in low-lying civilian areas within the port trust jurisdiction and it was not draining. Tawde then directed officials to immediately install water-pumping pumps and take necessary measures. Noting that despite waterlogging in the area, Mumbai Port Trust had not installed even a single pump for water removal, the mayor directed that pumps of the required capacity be deployed immediately. Similarly, near Cotton Green railway station, work was underway under a bridge with an open manhole, but there were no barricades, nor were staff present at the spot.(Inputs by Sanjeev Devesia)

The project is expected to generate around 299 million units of clean electricity annually

Mumbai: Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a subsidiary of Tata Power, on Friday commissioned its 100.8 MW Jewali wind project in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra, further expanding its renewable energy portfolio. The power generated from the project will be supplied to Tata Power Mumbai distribution — for over 8 lakh electricity consumers in the island city and suburbs.“The renewable energy generated by the facility is projected to offset nearly 245 million kg of carbon dioxide emissions every year, making a significant contribution to decarbonisation efforts and reducing dependence on conventional power sources. It is aimed at supporting the transition towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy mix for consumers in Mumbai,” said a senior Tata Power official.The Jewali Wind Project comprises 28 wind turbine generators of 3.6 MW capacity each, employing advanced horizontal-axis wind turbine technology. According to the company, the project is expected to generate around 299 million units of clean electricity annually.With the commissioning of the project, TPREL’s wind energy portfolio has crossed 3.9 GW, including more than 1.3 GW of operational wind capacity. The remaining projects are under various stages of development across states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.The company said the latest addition aligns with Tata Power’s long-term goal of achieving 100% clean energy generation by 2045. The project also strengthens TPREL’s position in India’s rapidly expanding renewable energy sector.Following the commissioning, TPREL’s total renewable utility capacity has reached 11.6 GW. Of this, 6.7 GW is operational, comprising 5.4 GW of solar and 1.3 GW of wind energy capacity, while another 4.9 GW is under implementation.The under-construction portfolio includes about 2.1 GW of solar projects, 2.6 GW of wind projects and 0.2 GW of battery energy storage systems, which are expected to be commissioned in phases over the next six to 24 months, an official added.

Political tensions flared at the BMC headquarters as Mayor Ritu Tawde (R) accused Opposition leader Kishori Pednekar (L) of barging into her office, misbehaving with staff, and photographing confidential documents.

MUMBAI: The political sparring between the ruling party and the opposition intensified at the BMC headquarters on Friday over recent monsoon-related accidents and the civic body’s functioning.Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde accused leader of the opposition and former mayor Kishori Pednekar of barging into the mayor’s office, misbehaving with staff, recording videos inside the office, and photographing confidential documents. The mayor said she has written to the police seeking the registration of a complaint.According to Mayor Tawde, the incident took place at around 3.45 pm on Friday while she was inspecting various parts of the city to review the condition of manholes, trees and other monsoon-related civic works. During her absence, Pednekar allegedly entered the mayor’s office.The Mayor alleged that Pednekar engaged in a heated argument with office staff, threatened them, recorded videos of the office premises and took photographs of important and confidential documents. Tawde said that while every elected representative has the right to seek information, photographing confidential documents is against the rules. Describing the act as a “recce” of the Mayor’s office, she said she would request the police to register a case.Pednekar, however, rejected the allegations outright. She said she had visited the mayor’s office only to follow up on a letter she had submitted demanding a special BMC general body meeting in the wake of recent incidents involving falling trees, open manholes and other monsoon-related accidents in Mumbai. According to her, as she had not received any response to the letter, she went to the Mayor’s office to inquire about its status. She maintained that her sole intention was to seek answers from the civic administration.Responding to Pednekar’s claims, Mayor Tawde said monsoon preparedness and the city’s water supply had already been discussed at length in the BMC House during a meeting that continued late into the night. She added that the civic administration was working continuously with citizens’ safety as its top priority.

Bhayandar: A 35-year-old motorcyclist who was critically injured after a coconut tree collapsed on him in Bhayandar succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning after battling for life for two days at a private hospital. The deceased, Rahul Patil, was the son of former Mira-Bhayander Municipal Council deputy president and former corporator Ashok Patil.The accident took place on Wednesday evening when Rahul was riding home along the Bhayandar-Uttan Road. As he passed through Sadanand Nagar in Rai village, a roadside coconut tree crashed on him. He was not wearing a helmet and sustained severe injuries to his neck and spine.Passers-by rushed him to a private hospital in Bhayandar, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors were preparing to perform surgery to replace damaged vertebrae in his neck, but he succumbed to his injuries before the procedure could be carried out.Rahul, who was unmarried, lived with his parents and sister in Murdha village. Family friends said he had gone to Bhayandar East to refuel his motorcycle but, finding the petrol pump crowded, drove to a fuel station in Bhayandar West. The accident occurred while he was returning home after filling fuel.His last rites were performed at the crematorium in Murdha village on Friday evening in the presence of a large number of relatives, friends and local residents.Senior inspector Jitendra Kamble of Bhayandar police station said an accidental death report (ADR) has been registered and further action will be taken after the investigation.Additional municipal commissioner Priyanka Rajput said firefighters removed the fallen tree from the road. “The tree had not been uprooted. It had become hollow due to termite infestation, which caused it to collapse,” she said. Rajput added that the accident could possibly have been prevented had the tree been surveyed in time. She said the municipal commissioner would decide on any further action.The tree had decayed internally from the base. “This was not something that happened overnight; the decay had most likely developed over several years as water seeped into the trunk from the outside, causing it to rot from within. As a result, the tree’s structural fibres, which normally provide strength, weakened and eventually failed to bear its weight, causing the coconut tree to snap and collapse. This underlines the need for regular inspection of roadside trees. Had such inspections been carried out, the deterioration could have been detected in time and this unfortunate incident might have been prevented,” a botanist said.Meanwhile, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) directed officials to conduct an urgent survey of dangerous trees across the city and submit a report within 24 hours. Ironically, later the same day, a motorcyclist was killed after a coconut tree fell on him in Bhayandar. MBMC commissioner Radhabinod Sharma instructed all ward offices to immediately identify dangerous trees across the city. The order directed officials to physically inspect such trees, geo-tag them, photograph them and submit a detailed report within 24 hours. The circular also warned that negligence or delay would not be tolerated and that officials concerned would be held accountable if any tree-fall incident resulted in loss of life or property.

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena’s act of blaming municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and seeking her resignation for two monsoon-related deaths in 48 hours has exposed the faultlines within the Mahayuti in the BMC. Political observers said the Sena is getting back at Bhide and the BJP for making it play second fiddle in the BMC despite being in the governing alliance and added that Bhide too has failed to perform a political balancing act.Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi of the Eknath Shinde-led Sena demanded Bhide’s resignation on Thursday.The Sena has been given some key posts in the BMC, but has no say in any financial decisions, policies or transfers of officials. With BMC in the dock over back-to-back deaths, the Sena is making its presence felt. A political observer said, “The BMC is technically under the urban development department led by Eknath Shinde, but the fact that Sena is targeting Bhide shows that this is with Shinde’s consent. Bhide was handpicked by CM Devendra Fadnavis and wasn’t Shinde’s preferred choice. Soon after she took over, the Sena has been sidelined in the BMC and BJP has dominated from Day One. So it is a political decision taken by Shinde Sena to get back at Bhide and BJP. But this also reflects that Bhide has not been able to balance things and is now caught in the crossfire.”In the last few months, there have been several instances where the Sena has been kept out of key BMC events, prompting them to complain of violation of protocol and norms. Most of the inspection visits for pre-monsoon works too were carried out independently by the BJP, keeping the Sena out.A former top bureaucrat said, “In the past, municipal commissioners had to balance between BJP in the state govt and bitter rival Sena (UBT) in the BMC. Right now, both BJP and Sena have put the blame on the BMC administration. This shows lack of dialogue between Bhide and the political leadership and a trust deficit too. The administration has failed to ride the double engine and is facing a political backlash for ignoring the Sena. One of the two will have to initiate a dialogue, or the rest of the monsoon will be stormy.”While BJP has 89 corporators, Sena has just 29.Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab said the blame game reveals a conflict in Mahayuti and lack of coordination.