BBMP carelessness kills man

BBMP carelessness kills man

68-year-old crushed to death by a tree; Its roots were weakened by palike work

Team DNA. Bangalore

The negligence of the executive engineer of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) south zone led to the death of a senior citizen in Vijayanagar main road around 1.30pm on Wednesday.
A fully grown Gulmohar tree fell on 68-year-old GS Sadashivaiah, resident of Mallige Thota, Magadi Road, while he was walking on the opposite side of the New Public Ground.
Eyewitnesses said BBMP workers were excavating the earth with a JCB excavator for erecting a compound wall for a playground at Jaimuni Rao Circle, Agrahara Dasarahalli, near the tree when the tragedy occurred. The roots of the tree were rendered weak because of the removal of earth around it and gusty winds sent the tree crashing down.
They said the BBMPhad not even placed any barricades around the area where the work was on.
"Sadashivaiah, a retired commercial tax officer, was trying to cross the road, but even before we could caution him, the tree came down crushing him. He died on the spot. No warning boards were put in place by officials, informing the public about the ongoing work," said Rajashekar S, an eyewitness.
People immediately rushed to his aid, but they were unable to lift the fully grown tree. They alerted the fire brigade and BBMP forest cell. The fire brigade and BBMP officials cut the tree and removed the body. The deceased was rushed to Gayathri Hospital nearby where he was declared brought dead.
A senior BBMP official said the compound wall was being built for converting the playground into an indoor sports complex. The tree was a couple of feet away from the spot where excavation was on and that was why they had not put up any barricade. "We didn't cut the tree. It fell on the person while we were excavating the earth. We had to cut the tree to clear the road. This held up the traffic in the area for two hours, " the official said.
Talking to DNA, Sadashivaiah's son S Kumar said: "We are in a state of shock. Precautions had to be taken. We are not in a position to talk." Kumar has filed a case against the BBMP contractor. The zonal executive engineer was to monitor the job.
Housing minister V Somanna arrived at the spot at 3 pm to take stock of the situation. He said: "BBMP officials should have taken necessary precautions. I will take action against them."
Somanna and BBMP have promised a compensation of Rs1 lakh each to Sadashivaiah's family. BBMP has also offered a job with the civic body for Kumar.
Sadashivaiah is survived by wife Shivamma, a daughter and a son.