Chembur residents blame BMC after fatal tree collapse kills schoolboy

The tree that fell onto a school bus in Chembur on Tuesday. Pics/Sarthak Mehta

Chembur residents have lashed out at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over alleged irregularities that may have led to the tree collapse that caused the death of an 11-year-old school boy in Chembur on Tuesday.

Rishi Marwah, who resides a kilometre from the accident spot, said, "Our area has seen multiple trees falling lately. None resulted in mishaps, so they didn't make it to the news, but why wait for tragedy? The blame game should stop at the BMC. It's high time now that they functioned responsibly and took accountability. All their departments should be well-coordinated. There are lakhs of trees across Mumbai. The authorities must ensure they are assessed to prevent accidents."

Hitesh Rupani, 46, a member of local citizen movement in Chembur

Hitesh Rupani, 46, a member of a local citizen movement, said residents had been flagging irregularities to the BMC for years. "It first began when a coconut tree fell on a local, killing her. Honestly, I don't think anything is going to change even after the recent death because despite such serious incidents happening, the BMC did not wake up. We need a systematic revamp, including major behavioural change in officials and technical upgrades facilitating transparency. We need a progress-tracking portal for all the essential municipal works that require responsibility and accountability," he said.

Bus owner says

Rishi Marwah, who resides near the spot on 11th Road in Chembur where the tree collapse incident occurred

Expressing sorrow over the mishap, Suresh Gala, owner of the school bus, said, "I provide over 50 buses to schools and others, but I've never had such a major accident, let alone a fatality. If appropriate precautions were taken regarding the tree, this mishap could have been avoided." Asked about the status of the bus, he said, "The police Investigation is ongoing. I expect to hear back from the insurance company in the next eight days. I have been told that the damage was due to a natural cause, so there's a high chance that the insurer might reject the claim, resulting in a loss of at least Rs 15 lakh. The bus was just four years old. Replacing it would cost me R35 lakh."

Public representatives say…

Anil Yeshwant Desai, MP, Mumbai South Central, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader
‘This is a failure of the BMC, and we are looking forward to what the corporation has to say about such criminal negligence. The tree fell despite residents raising a complaint, and drain-related work had affected its roots. The BMC must explain why basic maintenance work is not carried out diligently despite having such a large budget. I attended the child's funeral and visited the injured kids in the hospital. Seeing their suffering was hard. I can't imagine what their parents must be going through'

Asha Subhash Marathe, local corporator and BJP leader
‘BMC ward officials told me that the last maintenance work done in connection with this tree was on May 29. We have learned in the preliminary assessment of the uprooted tree that its base had rotted, and it had hollowed. A few residents said that they had complained to the BMC about this tree before the incident; I have made multiple inquires with officials. They are confident that the ward office received no such complaints. A meeting has been called to find out if there were any lapses. If lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those guilty'

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