TMC garbage tempo kills 79-year-old in Diva,Thane

The driver allegedly did not notice the senior citizen while reversing the vehicle and dragged him for several metres

THANE: A 79-year-old man was run over by a Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) garbage tempo in Diva on Friday morning. After reviewing the CCTV footage, a case will be registered in connection to the matter, police said.

Thane, India - January 24, 2025: Died person photograph of Sitaram Thotam, A 79-year-old man met with an accident and died while reversing a TMC garbage Van at Diva ,in Thane,in Mumbai, India, on, Friday, January -24, 2024. ( Praful Gangurde /HT Photo )

The accident took place around 9.00am near Tuljabhavani Temple in Santosh Nagar, Diva East, when Sitaram Sakharam Totam was approaching the TMC-contracted Tata pickup vehicle (MH 04 JK 1570) to dispose of his garbage. The driver, Manoj Kadam, allegedly did not notice the senior citizen while reversing the vehicle and dragged him for several metres. Pramod Bhoir, a sanitation worker, who was at the spot, immediately stop the driver. Passersby alerted the police and TMC officials after this. The injured man was rushed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa where he was declared dead upon arrival.

The CCTV footage of the incident shows the garbage truck reversing with its alarm active. Total failed to notice the alarm in time. The Mumbra police are investigating the matter. An officer from Mumbra police station stated, “We are investigating the case and reviewing CCTV footage to ascertain the details of the accident. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem.”

A case was registered on Friday against Manoj Kadam 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash driving or riding) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 184 (dangerously driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

This follows the tragic accident in Kalyan where a woman and her toddler were run over by a Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) garbage collection truck earlier this month. These consecutive incidents have raised serious concerns about the safety protocols followed by municipal garbage vans. Residents have demanded stricter safety measures to prevent such accidents in the future.