2 BMC officers suspended over suicide

A day after the 25-year-old woman who set herself ablaze outside the civic headquarters succumbed to her burns at JJ hospital, two civic officers have been suspended and inquiry initiated against five others, reports HT Correspondent.

A day after the 25-year-old woman who set herself ablaze outside the civic headquarters succumbed to her burns at JJ hospital, two civic officers have been suspended and inquiry initiated against five others.

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On Monday evening, Ulhasnagar resident Renuka Mahadik set herself on fire as she was reportedly neither given compensatory employment after her husband’s death, nor his dues.

She sustained 70 to 75 per cent burns and succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.

On Friday, a head clerk and an office superintendent were suspended on Friday for negligence and delay in initiating the processes to clear her husband’s dues and giving her employment. Mahadik’s husband Ravindra, a loader with the conservancy department in the K-east ward (Andheri) office, died on duty on November 21, 2008.

“The internal investigation carried out by the deputy municipal commissioner (General Administration) proves there was negligence on the part of these two officers and a detailed inquiry on the other five — an assistant head supervisor, a deputy head supervisor and clerks of K-east ward — will be carried out,” said Municipal Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya.

Kshatriya said, according to a 2007 circular, if a conservancy worker dies on duty the corporation should write to the family within 15 days asking them submit the documents to claim their dues and seek a job. “This circular was only applicable to the conservancy department. The inquiry revealed that these officers had not written to Ravindra’s family,” said Kshatriya.

He said the corporation will offer Mahadik’s children monetary benefit, like fixed deposit, as compensation and also waive off a Rs 34,000-loan he had taken from office. There are more than 500 preference treatment cases pending with the corporation only from its conservancy department.