Mumbai, July 3 -- NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Friday blamed "lack of proper maintenance" by the concerned authorities for the death of a man who fell into an open manhole in Mumbai's Sakinaka area, saying that such incidents recur each year. The victim's family has demanded accountability, compensation and stricter safety measures to prevent similar incidents.

Speaking to ANI after meeting the family of the deceased, Aslam Isak Shaikh, Pawar said such incidents recur every year during the monsoon despite substantial allocations for civic preparedness.

"Unfortunately, people fall into these manholes and lose their lives due to a lack of proper maintenance; this is a recurring annual issue. The municipal corporation has a budget of approx...