Mumbai: Elderly couple dies of suffocation after fire in meter box

An elderly couple died of suffocation from a fire in their Jogeshwari home. Meanwhile, the death of a man who fell into an open manhole in Sakinaka led to a political outcry in the Maharashtra Assembly, with calls for action against officials.

Elderly Couple Dies in Jogeshwari Fire

An elderly couple died of suffocation after a fire broke out in an electric meter box at their residence in Mumbai's Jogeshwari East on Friday morning, officials said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the fire broke out in the electric meter box at Gomati Vaishali Chawl at around 6:59 am. Thick smoke spread through the premises, causing the couple to suffocate.

"Two deaths reported in Jogeshwari East chawl, a senior citizen couple suffocated due to fire and smoke from an electric meter box. The elderly husband and wife died in an electric meter box fire at 6:59 am this morning," the BMC said.

The deceased have been identified as Salim Tadvi (75) and Mumtaz Tadvi (67), residents of Gomati Vaishali Chawl. They were declared brought dead at Trauma Care Hospital, the civic body said.

Uproar in Assembly Over Manhole Death

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, on Thursday, following the death of a man who fell into an open manhole in Mumbai's Sakinaka area, a massive uproar sparked in the ongoing monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

BJP MLA Ameet Satam raised the issue during the session, demanding immediate suspension and stringent action against the responsible contractors and civic officials.

Taking serious note of the incident, Speaker Rahul Narvekar directed the state government to go beyond mere suspensions. He suggested that an FIR under charges of culpable homicide be registered against those found responsible for the negligence.

The incident provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition, with Congress MLA Nana Patole launching a scathing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

"The question arising is: how many lives of Mumbaikars does this government - the Mahayuti government of Maharashtra and the Mahayuti-led municipal corporation - want to claim?" Patole told reporters.

Referring to recent fatalities in the city, the senior Congress leader added, "First, an innocent child died when a tree fell on a bus during the initial rains; today, another life was lost because a manhole was left open. How many lives do they want? Ordinary people are losing their lives due to an administration and government mired in corruption."

BMC Suspends Officials, Forms Probe Committee

Earlier, the BMC had suspended four officials, including the Assistant Commissioner of 'L' Ward, pending an inquiry into the tragic death of a man who fell into an open manhole amid heavy rainfall in the Sakinaka area of Andheri East.

The authorities have identified the deceased victim as Aslam Isak Shaikh (60), a resident of Yadav Nagar in Sakinaka.

According to the BMC, the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Sakinaka Police Station on Khairani Road, where repair work on a water drainage grill was being carried out.

The victim was a pedestrian who accidentally fell into the drainage through an open manhole while the maintenance work was in progress.

The BMC further stated that although his body has been located, efforts are currently underway to recover it.

On the orders of BMC Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, a high-level search committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs). The committee has been directed to submit a comprehensive report on the incident within seven days.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)