Nagpur: A seven-day delay in initiating action against the Gujarat-based contractor held responsible for a woman’s electrocution in Auliya Nagar has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).Leader of Opposition and local corporator Sanjay Mahakalkar alleged that the contractor was being shielded by NMC brass despite a departmental inquiry blaming it for the fatal lapse.“The report is crystal clear. The contractor damaged the cable, failed to inform the authorities, and a woman lost her life. What more does the administration need before acting?” he told TOI.Mahakalkar said he would raise the issue at the upcoming General Body meeting and demand blacklisting of M/s Das Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, forfeiture of all pending payments, registration of an FIR against those responsible, and suspension of Public Health Engineering (PHE) officials supervising the project.He also cited action taken during former municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari’s tenure, when the civic body imposed a cumulative penalty of ₹1 crore on Das Infrastructure and two other AMRUT contractors for poor road restoration after sewerage works.“An internal report is meaningless if it is not followed by action. Justice for Afroz Begum Khan demands accountability, not paperwork,” Mahakalkar said.Questioning Municipal Commissioner Vipin Itankar’s earlier inaction, Mahakalkar asked why payments to the contractor had not been withheld, why no FIR had been registered, and why no PHE official had been suspended despite a resident losing her life during execution of an NMC project.
