India, Aug. 1 -- A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fact-finding committee has blamed both the contractor and officials from the K East ward's maintenance department for lapses that led to the July 2 death of a 55-year-old man who fell into an uncovered manhole in Sakinaka, according to civic sources familiar with the inquiry.

The findings are significant because they assign responsibility not only to the contractor carrying out the work but also to civic officials responsible for supervising it. This is a departure from the BMC's inquiry into the June 30 Chembur tree-fall death, where action was primarily recommended against the contractor and consultant, while officials from the garden and roads departments reportedly received ...