Municipal Engineers Union protests, demands suspensions in two Mumbai rain-related deaths be revoked

Mumbai: The Municipal Engineers Union on Monday staged a protest outside BMC’s M-West ward office against the suspension of civic engineers in connection with two recent monsoon-related incidents, demanding that the disciplinary action be revoked.Calling the action “premature and unjust”, the union said engineers should not be suspended before a thorough inquiry establishes responsibility, and sought a fair investigation before any punitive action is taken.Last week, the BMC administration suspended three engineers following the tree collapse in Chembur that claimed the life of 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastav. In a separate incident, four civic officials, including the assistant municipal commissioner of L ward, were suspended following the death of 55-year-old Aslam Ishaq Shaikh, who fell into an open manhole in Saki Naka on July 2.In case of the manhole death, an engineer said, the ward staff wasn’t informed of the protective grille installation work, so how could the engineers be expected to be at the site.In case of the tree-crash death, the union said that in a letter to the contractor in March, the roads department’s executive engineer of eastern suburbs directed the contractor, Gawar Construction Ltd, to immediately implement protective measures for trees located within work zones. The notice also observed that several trees in the area were of “advanced maturity”, many showed a “noticeable lean” indicating potential instability, and that excavation activities could increase the “risk of tree failure”.The union later also presented their request before the civic chief.