BMC offers Rs 50K to man after a tree being cut crushes his right leg

Day after this paper's expose of how a tree that was being cut fell on a biker and broke his leg, BMC offers him a pittance

The BMC has finally woken up to the plight of Ghatkopar resident Zabi Mohammed Nabi Sheikh — over a week after a tree being cut irresponsibly crushed his right leg — and promised him compensation. Following mid-day's July 19 report, 'Felled tree breaks biker's leg at Sion,' the F North ward has moved a proposal to sanction Rs 50,000 as financial aid for Sheikh's medical treatment, which has already run up a bill of over Rs 2 lakh. BMC has also levied a fine of the same amount on the guilty contractor.

Sheikh was on his way to work on July 11, when a coconut tree fell on his bike, crushing his right leg. While he was first taken to the Sion hospital, he was shifted to the Samadhan hospital in Goregaon, where he is currently receiving medical treatment. He has undergone surgery to fix metal plates inside his leg and will be in recovery for another six months.

Meanwhile, the manager of Tanisha Enterprises — the contractor tasked with the tree cutting — Dashrath Kumar Rawal was arrested for the incident, but was later let out on bail. Despite all of this, the civic body's F North ward had no clue about what had happened. After mid-day published a report on July 19, the local ward office finally took cognizance of the matter.

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Speaking to mid-day, Gajanan Bellale, assistant commissioner, F North ward, said, "I gathered information about the incident and asked the garden department to send a proposal for securing compensation for the injured person. The superintendent of the garden department will send that to higher authorities to get the compensation sanctioned." Sheikh confirmed the development saying, "My son has received a call from BMC officials seeking details of my treatment and its expenditure. They haven't shared any details about the amount."

The proposal is said to take anywhere between five to 10 days to be processed. Civic sources said the compensation amount would be Rs 50,000, which is a quarter of the Rs 2 lakh Sheikh has spent on his medical treatment so far. Another BMC official said, "Had the injured gone to a municipal hospital, he would have received treatment for free. But he chose to shift to a private hospital, seeking DAMA (discharge against medical advice)."

Rs 2.5 lakh
Medical expense Sheikh has incurred so far for broken leg

Contractor fined

BMC has also acted against the guilty contractor, by levying a fine. "The contractor is liable to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 if they commit any mistake or offence. But since this contractor has caused serious injury to the citizen, we have imposed a fine 10 times higher on him [Rs 50,000]," added Bellale.

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