Mumbai: Four days after the death of a six-year-old girl after falling off a horse in Cooperage Garden, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has held the contractor, M/s Opera Infra Projects, responsible, and issued a show cause notice.
Corporator Makarand Narvekar has written to Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta demanding that an inquiry be initiated and an FIR be filed against the BMC departments responsible for the tragedy. “There is no humanity left in the BMC. This show cause notice is an insult,” he said.
Mr. Narvekar had written three letters to the assistant commissioner in the last four months about the poor condition of the garden’s track. “He didn’t reply to any of those letters. Let’s see what actions he takes after this letter,” the corporator said, adding that if need be he would personally file an FIR against the BMC.
The civic body, however, reiterated that it does not own the responsibility. According to BMC officials, Ms. Opera Infra Projects was given a contract to do general maintenance of the garden such as cleaning and security. “Providing security involves not allowing unauthorised activities in the park. That is the reason he is paid for. If the company allowed this illegal activity, then they must answer for it,” Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner, A Ward, said.
Ms. Opera Infra Projects is yet to reply to the show cause. BMC officials have said that the contractor cannot claim ignorance of the law and should have not permitted the horse rides in the park.
On November 5, Janhavi Mistry fell off a horse at the garden and suffered head injuries. The six-year-old succumbed at Bombay Hospital later that night. The police have arrested the horse rider, Soham Jaiswal.
Mr. Jaiswal was one of 21 horse riders who operated in the garden. While BMC officials admitted that the practice had been going on for decades, they reiterated that the licences were not renewed after 2015 since the Bombay High Court banned joyrides in the city.
