A vaguely worded reply via mail and Rs 1 lakh ex gratia — that’s the worth of a life according to the BMC,” said Venkatesh Naidu, the father of 25-year-old Tejas Naidu who lost his life in a tree collapse amid heavy rainfall at Ganesh Maidan in Vikhroli on May 26, 2025.

Following Tuesday’s tree fall in Chembur, which crushed a passing bus and killed an 11-year-old boy, Naidu accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of failing to learn from past tragedies. “The civic body continues to ignore warning signs until lives are lost.”