01 July,2026 07:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Eeshanpriya MS
The uprooted peepal tree that collapsed on a school bus in Chembur, killing an 11-year-old child
The death of an 11-year-old child after a peepal tree crashed onto a school bus in Chembur has triggered serious questions over whether the tragedy could have been prevented.
Even as Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the incident, BJP corporator and Garden Committee chairperson Hetal Gala alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Garden Department had warned the Road Department that the tree had been damaged during ongoing road concreting work and required immediate attention. She claimed no action was taken. The BMC, however, said it would verify whether road work had any role in the collapse.
Vihaan Shrivastava, 11, the deceased. Pic/By Special Arrangement
BMC received a total of 30 complaints of tree collapses and tree branches collapsing between 8 am and 7 pm on Tuesday. Of these, six were reported in the island city, 11 in the eastern suburbs and 13 in the western suburbs. Apart from the incident at Chembur, no injuries have been reported in any other incidents, BMC said on Tuesday evening.
The smashed school bus. Pic/Sarthak Mehta
Hetal Gala, BJP corporator and chairperson of the Garden Committee, alleged that the Garden Department had alerted the Road Department that the tree had been damaged during road concreting and needed immediate attention.
"It has also come to light that during the ongoing road work, the Garden Department had reportedly warned the Road Department that the tree had been damaged during the construction work and required immediate attention. Unfortunately, no timely action was taken," Gala said.
Civic officials and emergency personnel clear the fallen peepal tree from the road after the fatal collapse in Chembur
She demanded strict action if the inquiry establishes negligence. "If this is confirmed through the official inquiry, responsibility must be fixed, and strict action should be taken against those found negligent."
>> Whether recent road concreting work affected the tree
>> Whether any complaints had been received from local residents
>> The exact cause of the uprooting
The civic body maintained that pre-monsoon tree trimming had been carried out on the road before the incident.
A senior civic official told mid-day that a preliminary inspection found the tree to be in "relatively good condition".
>> The tree was around 60-70 years old
>> Pre-monsoon pruning and trimming had been carried out in March
>> Slight water leakage was noticed within the core at the base of the trunk
>> It is too early to determine what caused the tree to be uprooted
