Chembur death: BMC suspends three officers; inquiry panel formed

4 min readMumbaiJul 1, 2026 09:30 PM IST

The BMC has suspended three officers and formed a two-member inquiry panel after an 11-year-old boy died when a tree fell on a school bus in Chembur. (File)

A day after the tragic incident in Chembur, in which an 11-year-old boy lost his life and four others were injured after a peepal tree fell on a school bus, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities announced the suspension of three officers. Additional Municipal Commissioner Avinash Dhakane told The Indian Express that the suspended officers include an assistant municipal commissioner of M west (MW) ward, which covers Chembur area, an assistant superintendent of gardens at the ward level and an assistant engineer of the roads department.

The civic administration also formed a two-member committee headed by the deputy municipal commissioner (engineering) and deputy municipal commissioner (special engineering) to investigate the matter. The panel will carry out a thorough inquiry into the subject and present the findings to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide by next week.

The administration said that the three officers will remain suspended till the inquiry report is submitted.

The tree that fell on the school van was located at the 11th Road in Chembur’s Shubhash Nagar locality. Civic officials maintained while the tree was 70 years old, no complaint owing to its structural stability was lodged with the BMC.

The tree was also located adjoining the road, which was concretised earlier in January this year.

Dhakane said visual inspection carried out at the accident spot showed that the periphery adjoining the girth of the tree was concretised, which is likely to have prevented the roots from growing.

“The roots of a tree either grow vertically deep under the ground or spread across horizontally. In this case there was no scope for growth since the entire periphery was concretised. As a result, the trunk became weak unable to bear the weight of the tree leading to its collapse,” Dhakane said on Wednesday. He said the roads department has been notified to issue a showcause notice against the contractor involved in the project.

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Meanwhile, civic records show the BMC’s garden and tree department had earlier issued showcause notices to the roads department raising an alarm by stating that the excavation work being carried out around the tree was done in an unscientific manner. While the first notice was served in April 2025, the second notice was served in January 2026.

“It’s true that the garden department had first issued notices. However, when they saw that the contractors were not abiding by the rules they should have escalated the matter to higher issues which they didn’t do. Hence they are equally accountable to the mishap,” Dhakane said.

The administration’s move of taking action against its own officials came after the BMC’s standing committee on Wednesday adjourned its official proceedings and demanded a thorough inquiry into the matter. Ganesh Khankar, BJP councillor and Leader of the House, raised a point of order demanding immediate action on the three officers.

“The BMC needs to frame a proper policy for preservation of the tree as well as the tree basins. This is the second such incident reported this year where a child lost his life after a tree fell on them. An investigation needs to be launched on this entire process of road works anda steering committee needs to be appointed for accountability,” Khankar said.

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Yashodar Phanase, senior councillor from Shiv Sena (UBT), said, “The administration needs to carry out an immediate audit of all the trees in Mumbai where road works are undergoing by a third party auditor and the report needs to be presented to the committee.”

Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.

Expertise & Authority

Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.

Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:

Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.

City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.

Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:

National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.

State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.

Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.

Experience

Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:

Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).

Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.

Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More

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