- A tree falling is beyond human control, Minister Sanjay Shirsat said after a Mumbai boy was crushed to death
- "You never really know when a tree is about to fall," the Minister said
- Vihan Shrivastav, an 11-year-old, died when a tree fell on his schoolbus in Chembur yesterday
The Maharashtra Minister for Social Justice, Sanjay Shirsat, started off well when confronted with questions about the death of a boy after a roadside tree fell on his school bus in Mumbai on Tuesday afternoon.
"Everyone is aware of the incident that took place yesterday. The government is set to make a statement regarding it in the House today, and instructions have also been issued to the corporation to ensure such incidents do not occur," Shirsat, the minister from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, told NDTV on Wednesday.
As he felt the heat of the questions, his responses appeared to be straying from his initial considered statements.
"Ek aadha pedh girna, bijli girna, ye aadmi ke haath main nahi hai. Ab yeh pedh girne waala hai, ab yeh thode hi na pata rehta hai (A tree falling or lightning striking - these things are beyond human control. You never really know when a tree is about to fall)," Shirsat said when NDTV pointed out that the opposition is alleging that the claim of completing all preparations before the monsoon was merely a facade, and incidents like this are exposing the reality.
A roadside tree, reportedly 70 years old, uprooted and fell on a school bus operated by Make Force company, which was transporting students of Universal High School at the time of the incident on Tuesday afternoon in Chembur area. Vihan Shrivastav, an 11-year-old, died in the accident. Of the children rescued, four students sustained minor injuries, while one boy suffered critical injuries. All five injured students were immediately shifted to Zen Hospital for treatment.
Conducting an audit is a responsibility, isn't it? NDTV asked the Minister.
"Audit toh karte hain na (We do audits)," he said.
Read: 'He Has To Go Play': Mother Sits Clutching Bat After Tree Collapse Kills Son
NDTV pressed him further, pointing out that the people in the area are complaining that the audit work was not done.
"Nahi, aisa nahi hota. Kaam poora hote rehta hai. Pedh girna naisargik hota hai, ho sakta hai, kabhi hawa jyaza aa jaati hai, usse gir jaata hai (No, that doesn't happen. The work continues. It's natural for trees to fall. Sometimes, there's a strong wind and it falls)," the Minister stressed.
The Minister, however, maintained that it was a tragic accident.
"Lekin jo ghatna ghati uske baare main hume behad dukh hai (However, we are deeply saddened by the incident that took place), he said.
Sharad Pawar party spokesperson Clyde Castro termed the Minister's statement as "shameful".
"This is an absolute insensitive and shameless statement by this Minister. I mean they have no shame: a child has lost his life and they are making a statement like this that it is a natural process of a tree falling. How shameless can anybody get. This is the job of the BMC. I was reading about it that the audit was not done properly. The BMC is blaming the road department. Auditing of trees has to be done before every monsoon," Castro said.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde said "tree trimming" on the road where accident took place had been conducted.
"A tragic incident occurred where a large tree fell on a bus, resulting in the death of one child and injuries to others. The incident happened on Road Number 11, where tree trimming had previously been conducted," Mayor Ritu Tawde said.
Mayor Tawde alleged that local administrative bodies had routinely ignored complaints filed by residents regarding the vulnerability of that specific tree.
"The official responsible will be held accountable. The municipality will extend full financial and emotional support to the affected families," she added.
Local residents have raised serious allegations of civic negligence, claiming that repeated complaints sent to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) regarding unsafe, top-heavy trees in the neighbourhood had gone unheeded.
State School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse has announced that a comprehensive safety survey of ageing, weak, and vulnerable trees along roadways will be immediately undertaken across Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra.
Congress leader Nana Patole had demanded that the High Court take note of the accident and take action against the state government.
"I got no response from the government inside the House over this issue... The BJP-led Mahayuti government has looted the BMC. What else can we expect from a Minister," Nana Patole said.
Maharashtra Minister Yogesh Kadam, from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, said action will be taken against whoever is guilty.
"This incident is unfortunate. Action will be taken against whoever is guilty...We will ensure that such an incident does not happen again; wherever such incidents occur, strict action will be taken," Kadam said.
BJP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay termed it an "extremely unfortunate incident" and called for the civic body to look into the matter.
"The incident in Chembur where a Peepal tree fell on a school van, causing the death of a child, is extremely unfortunate. Trimming trees in time during the rainy season is very necessary, and neglect of this leads to such incidents... Trees should be maintained, but human life is also precious. It is difficult to compensate for what happened yesterday... The municipal administration needs to trim the trees, and those that are weak should also be removed," BJP MLA said.
