A BMC first: Victims of Malad wall collapse to get compensation

Residents look for their belongings after the wall collapse at Pimpripada, Malad. File pic

After a declaration from its boss, the ruling party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Shiv Sena, approved compensation on Friday to those affected by the wall collapse at Malad. This is the first time the BMC is offering compensation. The kin of those who died will get Rs 5 lakh (for per person who died) and the injured will get Rs 50,000. But while this has been appreciated, the BMC is reluctant to have a policy for compensation to victims of open manholes, accidents due to potholes etc. It also doesn't want to increase compensation for death due to tree collapse. As per its only policy for compensations, the kin of those who die in tree fall incidents get Rs 1 lakh.

The state government had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh after the Malad wall collapse on July 2, in which 31 slum dwellers were killed and over 100 were injured. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation from the BMC. The move was opposed by opposition parties due to interference from an outsider. The BMC administration tabled the compensation proposal for the Malad victims on Friday. As per the proposal, the kin of those killed in the incident will get Rs 5 lakh and those injured will get Rs 50,000.

Rais Shaikh, group leader of the Samajwadi Party demanded the compensation policy be extended to victims of other incidents. "A child died due to wall collapse in Govandi. Many drown in open manholes every monsoon. Will the BMC compensate them? Is there a policy?" questioned Shaikh. Ravi Raja, leader of the opposition in the BMC, said, "The victims from earlier incidents also deserve the same." Corporators have been regularly demanding such compensation. However, last month the BMC administration, in a written response to the general body meeting, told them that this would not be possible. "Many projects are undertaken by contractors and the compensation will be given under the general condition of the contract, said Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi.

31
No. of slum dwellers who died in the wall collapse

1 killed in Chandivali wall collapse

One person was killed and two others injured when a wall of a house in a chawl collapsed at Chandivali farm in Sakinaka on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Chandrakant Munnappa Shetty. The incident took place around 11.45 am, said corporator Chitra Sangle. Shetty was rushed to CMO Rajawadi Hospital, where he was declared dead. One of the injured persons, identified as 35-year-old Sandeep Suresh Kadam is undergoing treatment at Paramount Hospital in Sakinaka, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation disaster cell officials.

The other injured person, Maula Maktum Choudhari, 35, was discharged soon after he was given treatment at Paramount Hospital. Corporator Sangle has accused the owner of the house that collapsed for the incident. "He was supposed to rebuild the wall as it was made of mud. The wall couldn't support the weight of the rain water and collapsed," she said. In another incident, a compound collapsed at Bhagavandas Wadi, near Kismat Cinema, in Prabhadevi. The Fire Brigade safely rescued two women from the site.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates