Mumbai: BMC staffer in charge of food distribution in Dharavi succumbs to Covid-19
Following the death, the BMC staff union has threatened a protest if employees are not medically examined and provided with safety kits.

A-49-year old Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) staffer, who was posted at G-North ward (Dadar, Dharavi, Shivaji Park), died of Covid-19 Wednesday. According to officials, Madhukar Hariyan, an Inspector in Assessment and Collector department in G-north ward, had the responsibility of food distribution in Dharavi, a Covid-19 hotspot.
The BMC on Wednesday tweeted the news of Hariyan’s death. Officials said Hariyan had been unwell since April 23 and had stopped coming to work. “Since he was not feeling well, he visited a private practitioner in Borivali. There, it was found he had pneumonia. He was tested for coronavirus and his test results came positive on Wednesday. He died on the way to Kasturba Hospital from Borivali,” said Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, G North ward.
On Wednesday, 14 new cases were reported in Dharavi, taking the total positive cases to 344. So far, 18 Covid-19 deaths have been reported here. Officials said Hariyan’s high- and low-risk contacts will be traced.
Hariyan’s death has triggered panic among civic employees. The Municipal Union has alleged that his death is a case of negligence, and demanded check-up of all BMC staff working on ground.
“Hariyan lost his life due to the BMC’s negligence.We had already demanded medical check-up of all the civic staff on field. If the administration had done that, his life could have been saved. In the next two days, if the BMC does not start medical examination of employees and safety kits are not provided, we will start a protest,” said Ramakant Bane, general secretary of the union.