Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde announces Rs 5 lakh ex gratia for family of 63-year-old man killed in Kurla tree collapse
Mumbai, July 5
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde on Sunday announced an immediate financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the family of a 63-year-old man who died after a tree branch collapsed on him in the Kurla West area, while directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to undertake a city-wide tree audit to prevent such incidents during the monsoon.
According to the BMC, the incident took place in the Naupada area of Kurla (West) on Sunday afternoon when the tree branch suddenly fell on a shop, killing resident Yunus Kundawala.
Upon receiving information about the incident, Mayor Tawde visited the spot, inspected the site and reviewed the situation with civic officials.
"We will not support the municipal administration in any wrongdoing. An inquiry will be conducted to determine why this was overlooked. For now, we have announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the family, and as Mayor, I, along with the entire BMC, stand in solidarity with them," she told ANI
Mumbai Mayor further demanded an audit of all trees in Mumbai and urged people to step out only if necessary.
"An audit of the trees is indeed necessary. As Mayor, I held a review meeting to call for an audit of all trees across the BMC area, including those alongside CC (cement concrete) roads and the city's older trees aged 50-60 years or more. We have also ordered an audit of all manholes to check for covers and safety grilles," Tawde added.
"Current weather conditions involve heavy rainfall, strong winds, and high tide; these conditions have persisted since yesterday. I had appealed to Mumbaikars earlier this morning to step out only if absolutely necessary and to avoid unnecessary travel. The incident that occurred is deeply tragic, and we stand with the family," she added.
Tawde added, "I visited the Coastal Road area yesterday. People go to the seaside for recreation; I saw children being made to sit on the sea walls. That is extremely dangerous. With the high tide, going there is unsafe; it is best to avoid such places as much as possible. There are strong winds and high tides, so unless it is necessary, do not venture out without a reason. I am monitoring the catchment areas daily."
The civic body said Tawde also interacted with local residents, heard their grievances and directed the municipal administration to immediately conduct a tree audit in Kurla, surrounding areas and across Mumbai.
"In the backdrop of the monsoon season, to ensure such accidents do not recur, she has given strict instructions to the Municipal Corporation administration to immediately conduct a survey of trees (Tree Audit) in Kurla and surrounding areas as well as across Mumbai, and to carry out pruning of trees wherever necessary at a war footing. Mayor Smt. Ritu Tawde assured that no negligence will be tolerated in matters of citizens' safety," the BMC also said in a X post.
The inspection was attended by local corporator and Chairman of the Public Health Committee Harish Bhandirge, Corporator Nitesh Singh, officials of the Municipal Corporation and local police personnel.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar questioned the civic administration's preparedness and called for accountability over the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Pednekar said, "The court has strongly criticised the situation and observed that merely paying compensation after a death is not enough; greater effort should be made beforehand, which is currently lacking... Furthermore, a case should be registered against the officials responsible for the CC road construction as well as the contractor involved. Meanwhile, the hospital authorities acknowledge the incident and say they are looking into the matter."
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai throughout the day, with high tides witnessed along Marine Drive and the Gateway of India.
— ANI
Reader Comments
At least Mayor visited spot herself - that's better than some politicians who only send tweets. But tree audit should have been done before monsoon started. Also, why are people still going to Marine Drive during high tide? Common sense nahi hai kya?
Kishori Pednekar is right - compensation after death is not enough. We need accountability. Register case against officials who neglected tree maintenance. 63-year-old man killed because of civic negligence. Poor family... BMC should also cover funeral expenses and provide job to one family member.
This happens every monsoon in Mumbai yet no systemic change. Tree audit is just a bandaid. Need proactive maintenance year-round, not just reactive compensation. Also, why was a 63-year-old out in such weather? Maybe he had to work - shows how vulnerable daily wage earners are during monsoon.
That's the problem - BMC announces compensation after every tragedy but never fixes root cause. Tree audit in July? Should have been done in March-April before monsoon. Also order manhole audit good, but why wait for death to check safety? BC road construction contractors should be held responsible for damaging tree roots. #MumbaiRains
Condolences to the family. But honestly, the Mayor's advice to "step out only if necessary" is tone-deaf. Mumbaikars don't have that luxury - we have to work, commute, earn our daily bread. Government needs to make infrastructure safe so people can go about their lives even during monsoon.
A Aditya G While Rs 5 We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.