Mumbai: Rs 50 lakh compensation announced for kin of BMC employees who die due to Covid-19

MUMBAI: The BMC on Monday announced Rs 50 lakh compensation to the kin of its employees who die after getting infected owing to Covid-19. So far 55 civic employees have died after testing positive for the virus. Off the 55, the civic body has received the positive test reports of 10 employees already and said that the compensation amounts to be given to their kin would be processed in the coming days.
Earlier in May, BMC had announced a Rs 10 lakh compensation for its staff who die owing to Covid-19. However following pressure from the employee unions its seems to have decided to increase the amount.
The compensation would be given to the kin of all civic employees including those who are appointed on contractual basis. So far, 1712 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 and these include staff from across departments namely the fire brigade, solid waste and disaster management. Besides those hired on consultancy basis to work for the civic administration have also been infected.
A civic official said that the employee should have reported to work 14 days prior to his/her death. "Several of the BMC staff have worked all through the lock down period and especially front line workers like those working at the ward level are found to be getting infected. Out of the 1712 employees who have tested positive so far, 1,040 have been discharged. In case of there been doubts over the test report of an employee who is suspected to have died owing to Covid-19 a committee of all the deans of major civic hospitals will take a call on the compensation to be given,"said a civic official.
There are documents that would need to be submitted while claiming compensation namely identity proof of deceased and of claimant, laboratory report certifying the deceased having tested positive, death summary by the hospital where the death occurred among others.
Sainath Rajdhyaksha of Brihanmumbai Municipal Engineering Union, "Its a good move as the new circular covers all BMC employees. However it is also essential that civic front line workers who have been working on ground for the last two months are tested more regularly as in case of them being asymptomatic they could be carriers infecting others around them."