India, Aug. 8 -- A missing work order has come to the rescue of the civic contractor - for now, at least - whose workers allegedly left a manhole uncovered, leading to a man's death in Sakinaka on July 2.

The open manhole was left unattended as workers fixed protective grilles across the mouth of drains in the locality, when Sakinaka resident Aslam Isak Shaikh, 55, fell in and died.

However, in his reply to a show-cause notice, the contractor argued, "My work order's tenure had ended. Therefore, I had not given any work to anyone, nor received any work order. Neither I nor any of my workers were working there (at the Sakinaka site)."

The show-cause notice was issued as part of a preliminary inquiry being conducted by the Brihanmumbai M...