Mangled remains of the school bus after a tree fell on it, in Chembur, Mumbai, on June 30, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
In the case of Chembur tree fall incident, the inquiry committee on Monday (July 13, 2026) gave a clean chit to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Gardens and Roads Departments, while holding the Contractor and the supervising consultancy accountable for negligence, and recommended to impose a fine of ₹5 lakh on the Contractor.
According to Committee, the consultancy firm should also pay ₹2 lakh.
It has also directed that separate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) be prepared for tree safety to help prevent similar incidents in the future and to appoint arborists concerning tree pruning.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ashwini Bhide directed to implement the findings and recommendations of the inquiry committee report into the accident.
On June 30, a Peepal tree fell on a school bus near Diamond Garden in Chembur (West), killing a 13-year-old school student and left several other students injured. Following the incident, an inquiry committee was constituted comprising Deputy Commissioner (Special Engineering), Purushottam Malvade and Deputy Commissioner (Engineering) Shashank Bhore to investigate the accident. The joint inspection of site was conducted along with Horticulture and Landscape Consultant Robert Fernandes on July 3, 2026
The inquiry committee submitted its report to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide on Monday (July 13, 2026).
The findings of the report suggest that the rainfall recorded at the incident site in Chembur was at an average of 62.80 millimeters on June 28, 2026, an average of 71.6 millimeters on June 29, and 13.6 millimeters till 3 pm on June 30, 2026, i.e., the time of the tree fall. Also, the wind speed was 25.7 kilometers per hour at the time of the tree fall. According to the data received from the Emergency Management Cell, about 1,158 trees/branches have fallen in Mumbai city during the period of heavy rainfall from June 28, 2026, to July 5, 2026. These trees are not only on both sides of the roads, but also include trees in societies, parks, open plots, and open spaces.
“The work of the storm water drain near the relevant tree at Chembur (W) was underway between January 2025 and March 2025 and was monitored by Garden Department. Therefore, the committee has stated in the report that there is no evidence of any fault on the part of the department,” the report reads.
The report says that the tree was in the storm water drain, obstructing the drain, so the possibility of water stagnating there could not be ruled out. Therefore, to maintain the continuity of the storm drain for proper drainage of rainwater and to save the tree, the Roads Department left the perimeter of the tree and kept a safe distance.
According to BMC authority, the Garden Department had informed the Roads Department regarding the safety of the trees on April 9, 2025 and January 27, 2026. Accordingly, the Roads Department has informed the concerned contractor, Gawar Construction Limited, on March 9, 2026 that the Contractor has not taken sufficient precautions, while Mahimtura Consultant failed to monitor the work.
The report also recommends 25 measures in detail to prevent such incidents.
The recommendations, includes holding of regular Tree Risk Assessment by a multidisciplinary panel, GIS-based inventory of all roadside trees, excavation of tree roots under supervision of experts, afforestation of native tree species, minimising excess concreting around the base of trees by maintaining sufficient permeable soil in the ‘critical root zone’ (main root area), scientific pruning of trees, and others.
Published – July 14, 2026 09:22 am IST
