Bombay High Court on Wednesday summoned the civic chiefs of Mumbai and five other municipal corporations to court on Friday for not complying with its directions to keep roads and footpaths pothole-free.
HC said no action will be taken unless senior officials are made personally liable. Apart from the commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the chiefs of the Thane Municipal Corporation, Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation also have to appear before the court.
A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor noted that directions have been passed by the high court since 2018 directing all civic bodies to strictly ensure that roads and footpaths are maintained and kept pothole-free. The court said that it has been five years and it appears that adequate action has not been taken by the civic bodies to ensure strict compliance of the orders. We require the presence of the BMC Commissioner and the commissioners of the other municipal corporations to explain as to why they should not be made liable for disobedience and non-compliance of court orders, the bench said.
The bench questioned the civic bodies’ inaction and said, It has been five years since the first order was passed on the issue in 2018 and still the civic bodies have not been able to remove potholes. The court took note of the rising number of accidents due to the poor condition of roads, potholes and manholes and said no action will be taken unless senior officials are made personally liable.