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BMC on Wednesday came up with a helpline to address complaints of missing manhole covers. The Civil Authority has also issued a set of guidelines requiring scrap dealers not to accept manhole covers.
In an effort to prevent accidents caused by open manholes, the civic body has issued a public notice that no one other than municipal employees should open manhole covers. BMC’s move comes days after two men drowned after falling into a sewer manhole in Govandi on Saturday night.
In the public notice, BMC asked all scrap dealers not to deal in stolen manhole covers. It also issued a helpline number – 7718001430 for citizens to file complaints related to the opening of manholes. “It is a serious and punishable offense for any person other than municipal employees who are authorized to open sewage/sewage room covers,” read the notice issued by the civic body. In case of violation of the rule, the civil authority warned that legal action would be taken.
The notice added: “If the sewers are found to be open or if anyone other than authorized personnel opens the sewers or if anyone is caught buying or stealing them, citizens should report to the nearest BMC Chowki…or helpline numbers.”
BMC also mentioned that citizens can approach local department offices to file a complaint, and for each ward, 24 different helpline numbers have been activated for filing complaints.
The cleaners usually notice the stolen manholes during the morning. However, now that the monsoons have started, the open manholes may pose a threat to the life of the citizen. The helplines will make it easier for citizens to file a complaint if they discover an open manhole and we can take action as soon as possible,” an official said, adding that the manhole covers are made of cast iron, which if traded in the scrap market gives a decent return.
Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, civic officials said they will install protective nets in all open manholes across the city to prevent people from falling into them. Currently, 1,908 manholes have grills out of the total 74,000 manholes in the city.
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