Mumbai is a city that is known for its spirit and it is most evident during the time of monsoon where the rains bring the entire city to a standstill. However, the undying spirit of Mumbai and its people make sure that the city functions even through the times of crisis and what Ravi Patil did during one of these rainy days is a classic example of this.
As we all know, the monsoons have arrived and apart from bringing a relief to Mumbai’s hot weather, they also bring along chaotic traffic and risky roads full of manholes and potholes. Recently, Ravi Patil who is a supervisor to a contractor was getting back home when he saw that the sewer near Jagadeo Narayan Varma bus stop was uncovered. There was a high possibility of someone falling into the sewer and losing their life because the same had happened to Dr Deepak Amrapurkar last year. His body was discovered in a drain in Worli after he fell down in an open manhole on the flooded streets of Mumbai.
Ravi knew that only BMC employees had the authority to shut and open manholes and despite this one being open, there were no red flags or warning signs around it to warn people of the danger that was capable of taking lives.
Ravi tried various numbers belonging to the BMC authorities but all he received was the disappointment. He felt frustrated and furious but he knew he couldn’t let people go through this kind of risk in the middle of the road.
Ravi kept standing at the spot for hours warning people about the open manhole and kept trying to reach the concerned authorities but his efforts were all in vain. When Ravi realized that no one was going to help him, he called his employees and collectively they all covered the open manhole.
We can’t be relying on the spirit of this city to keep is safe! It’s about time that the authorities wake up and do the needful. We salute the initiative and courage shown by Ravi and his team!
