1,529 frontline BMC workers infected, 25 dead

The most recent casualty was a 56-year-old fireman posted at Gowalia Tank Fire Station on Grant Road, who died Sunday evening.

Over 1,500 frontline Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers are infected with Covid-19 and 25 have succumbed to the virus so far, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has said. This is the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak that the civic administration has officially come out with the number of BMC frontline workers who have either been infected or have died.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Chahal added, “Despite large number of frontline civic staffers getting infected, I am proud to say that they are working tirelessly in such an adverse situation.”

The most recent casualty was a 56-year-old fireman posted at Gowalia Tank Fire Station on Grant Road, who died Sunday evening.

For the past two months, municipal employees’ unions have been demanding that BMC come clean on how many civic staffers had contracted the virus. After consistent demands, Joint Municipal Commissioner (General Administration Department) Milin Sawant issued a circular on May 20, asking heads of departments to maintain a database of employees who have been infected or have died due to Covid-19.

BMC officials said all departments have now started preparing data on their affected staffers. According to the civic body, Mumbai Fire Brigade and the security department are the worst affected. About 35 staffers from the fire brigade have tested positive and one has died, and more than 80 employees from the security department have been infected and one person has died.