117 civic employees died of Covid-19: Data ›

Most of the infected employees are those who come directly in contact with the patients, work at containment zones and have been assigned field work. CIVIC OFFICIAL

MUMBAI :A total of 117 employees of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have succumbed to Covid-19, information by the civic body has revealed. So far, 2,384 BMC employees have been infected with Covid-19, of whom 1,280 (53%) have recovered.

The case fatality rate among the civic employees is 4.9%. Sainath Rajadhyaksha, head of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Engineers’ Association, attributed the high case fatality ratio to the late reporting of the cases.

“The high number of deaths is owing to the late reportage of cases when the BMC was not allowing anyone to get tested unless they had developed symptoms and a doctor’s prescription was also must. Nearly 30,000 civic employees are out on the field, working to curb the outbreak. The likelihood of many of them getting infected is high,” he said.

Among the senior officials who have succumbed to Covid-19 is H-east ward’s assistant commissioner, who was working towards creating the jumbo Covid facility at Bandra-kurla Complex. He died on July 11. On June 9, a deputy municipal commissioner also succumbed to the infection.

According to the corporation, most employees who have tested positive for Covid-19 are from the solid waste management (SWM) department, health department and many staffers who work at the ward level. “These are frontline staff who come directly in contact with Covid-19 patients, work at containment zones and have been assigned field work,” a civic official said.

According to the official the BMC is taking several measures to prevent the spread of the virus among its employees. “Unlike the pre-covid times, people are not allowed to gather in large numbers at corridors or outside the

BMC canteen. There are sanitisers at every entry point. Many wards are adopting foot-operated lifts and sensor-based taps. Even the Worli engineering hub will now be fitted with foot-operated machines. However, we can’t say how and when can the infection spread,” the official added.

Meanwhile, Rajadhyaksha said that the compensation amount for the family of the deceased staffers should be released soon to their families. “The compensation of ₹50 lakh promised by the state to the families of government employees who succumb to Covid-19 should be expedited, as there is a lot of red tapism in releasing the money. Also, the kin of the deceased should be given jobs per their qualification without any delay,” he said.