Three dead in tree collapse incidents in Jogeshwari, Malad, and Govandi

Malad resident Shailesh Rathod was on his way home from a temple when the branch fell on him; (right) the tree that fell on Anil Ghosalkar in Jogeshwari

Tree fall incidents in the monsoon have claimed three more lives in the city, this time in Jogeshwari, Malad and Govandi. The deceased have been identified as Anil Ghosalkar, 48, who was a driver, Shailesh Rathod, 38, who worked as a sales executive at BKC and Nitin Shirvalkar, 43, a BARC employee.

The first incident occurred in Jogeshwari east at 1 am, when a Gulmohar tree fell on Ghosalkar. The tree was located inside the premises of the Takshashila society in Meghwadi. Civic officials said, "Ghosalkar was a driver and he was cleaning a car when the branch fell on him. He was taken to the Holy Spirit hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead at 4:37 am." They added that they had sent a notice to the society on April 22 asking them to trim the branches of the trees. Officials from the garden department said they will send another notice to the society to trim the trees.

Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Two dead in tree collapse incidents in Jogeshwari, Malad

Notice to Malad society
The other incident occurred in Malad around 7 am, when Rathod was on his way home after praying at the local Jain temple. He was declared dead on arrival at the Shatabdi hospital. His post-mortem report revealed that he died of internal injuries in his brain.

Civic officials said the tree from which the branch fell on Rathod was located inside the premises of the Bhagwan Bhavan society. An official from the garden department said they will send a notice to the society asking them to trim the tree. Sanjog Kabare, assistant municipal commissioner of P North ward, said the branch fell from a height of 25 feet. "It is possible that the branch fell due to the strong winds that have been blowing for the past couple of days. The Garden Department will carry out a detailed investigation into the incident and as per the rules, compensation will be given to the family of the deceased," he said.

Speaking to mid-day, Kalpesh Jain, Rathod's brother-in-law said, "He was a very religious man and would always start his day by visiting the temple. He was the breadwinner of the family." Rathod, who worked at the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Bandra Kurla Complex, is survived by his wife and two daughters. Upon being asked if they are planning to file a complaint seeking compensation, Jain said, "We would take the required steps after all the last rites are performed."

Also Read: Tree fall, potholes, collapses in Mumbai: Earlier victims still await justice

Branch kills BARC employee
Meanwhile in Anushakti Nagar, Govandi, a BARC employee identified as Nitin Vishnu Shirvalkar, 43, died after a branch of a tree fell on him. The incident occurred around 5.30 pm on Friday, after which he was taken to the BARC hospital, where he was later declared dead by Dr Rahul Sakalle.

67
No. of trees that have fallen on June 12 and 13

150
No. of branches that have fallen on June 12 and 13

51
No. of trees that have fallen inside private properties

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