Mumbai Mayor Rejects BMC Clean Chit in Chembur Tree Death, Demands Accountability

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has rejected the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) internal inquiry that cleared its garden and road departments of responsibility in the death of an 11-year-old schoolboy. The boy was killed when a large peepal tree collapsed during excavation work in Chembur on June 30.

Speaking to reporters, Tawde called the findings 'unacceptable' and stated that the BMC itself must be held accountable. 'A penalty of Rs 7 lakh will not bring justice to the deceased boy. Therefore, I do not accept this report and its findings,' she said. The mayor emphasised that responsibility lay with the site engineer and the garden department, who should have worked collectively to prevent the incident.

The BMC's internal committee, which submitted its report on Monday, recommended fines of Rs 5 lakh on the roadwork contractor and Rs 2 lakh on the supervising consultant for negligence during excavation around the tree's roots. The committee, however, absolved the BMC's garden and road departments of any wrongdoing, citing that the garden department had issued precautionary advisories and the road department had diverted storm water drains away from the tree.

The report noted that the contractor failed to take adequate precautions but could not be held solely responsible, considering that nearly 1,158 trees and branches fell across Mumbai during the same period. Nevertheless, the contractor had been specifically warned about accountability. The external consultant was penalised for inadequate supervision.

BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed the implementation of the committee's recommendations, including the preparation of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for urban tree safety and the appointment of tree experts to supervise pruning work.