Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission

BMC

MSHRC

paver blocks

Worli seaface promenade

SHRC member MA Sayeed

Swift action

breathes fire onfor failing to maintain the Worli promenade.In this David vs Goliath battle, scrappy Pimmi Seth has scored a big win. The elderly resident of Worli has been awarded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh by the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission () for the injuries she sustained last October after falling on unevenon theThe MSHRC also came down heavily on the BMC for having failed to maintain the promenade, saying it woke up from its slumber only after media coverage.It directed the BMC to pay the compensation within six weeks of the order, failing which it would have to pay an interest of 12.5 percent.The order, passed byon April 23, said regular walkers had raised complaints repeatedly on the poor condition of the Worli promenade, but no action was taken. It noted that there were nine incidents of senior citizens sustaining grievous injuries on the stretch owing to dislodged paver blocks, and that Seth had to pay more than Rs 3 lakh for her treatment.In its defence, the BMC blamed rats for dislodging the paver blocks.Seth, 77, a resident of the seafacing Jayshree building in Worli, went for her usual morning walk on the promenade on October 9 last year, but slipped and fell on uneven paver blocks. She fractured her nose and lost two teeth, and also sustained other injuries to the face.“I go for my walk every day between 6.15 am and 7.15 am. That day, I suffered a nasty fall. Other walkers on the promenade helped me up and called my family. I was hospitalised for a week,” she recalls. She says she took “a while” to completely recover, even though she was back on her favourite walks within four days of the fall.Seth wasn’t going to let all that suffering go in vain. “We did not keep quiet. We formed a WhatsApp group for the betterment of Worli seaface, and also involved the then assistant municipal commissioner, Prashant Sapkale, in the group,” she says.She says concerted efforts ensured that paver blocks were relaid on the stretch. “The MSHRC took suo motu cognisance of the matter following news reports, and this encouraged me to pursue it. I am really thankful to the SHRC.”Advocate Mohit Kapoor, secretary of the Worli Walkers’ Association, provided her with legal help.AL Jarhad, additional municipal commissioner of the ward, said he had not seen the order so far.---------------------------------------------------------------------------The State Human Rights Commission’s decision comes on the heels of a series of reports by Mumbai Mirror this week, highlighting the dangers that dislodged paver blocks pose. The BMC swung into action following the reports and began fixing the problems.