Mumbai mayor rejects BMC report on Chembur tree crash that killed 11-year-old

MUMBAI: Mayor Ritu Tawde on Thursday rejected the BMC inquiry report on the Chembur tree crash that killed 11 year-old Vihaan Srivastav. In the general body meeting, she said the findings failed to fix accountability and directed the civic administration to conduct a fresh inquiry.The report came under severe attack in the BMC house, with corporators across party lines asking why officials and contractors had largely escaped responsibility in the case of achild’s death.Leader of the house Ganesh Khankar slammed the report, alleging that the roads department had not issued “even a single letter” to the contractor after the garden department categorically raised objection. “An 11-year-old boy has died. Can a penalty of Rs 7 lakh be the price of a child’s life? Contractors cannot run Mumbai. We, the elected corporators, will run the BMC,” Khankar said, demanding that the report be rejected and a thirdparty audit ordered. He condemned the findings, saying the report had declared “everyone innocent” while imposing only a nominal penalty on the contractor. Khankar tore the report in the BMC house.Tawde said the report was unacceptable. “An entire family has been destroyed. The mother must still be wondering why she sent her child to school that day,” she said.Vihaan’s father, Gaurav, said, “The report has many gaps; the penalty imposed is directed only at the contractor. While the error has been acknowledged, not everyone responsible for the mistake has been held accountable. There are also questions regarding the transparency of the inquiry committee itself; BMC officials are investigating the BMC—there is no independent panel involved. Thirdly, the findings suggest the fault lies entirely with the contractor, yet the BMC is responsible for supervision, inspection, and final approval of the report.”You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in MumbaiStay updated with the latest Mumbai news. Download the TOI App.